Transformers: SALVATION
by YourRisingStorm
Summary: What if Transformers had no humans but made up for this by having wolves and dragons? The answer would be Salvation: an epic tale of survival between Transformers and the other forces of the Universe.
1. Introduction & Part 1 Prologue

**Transformers: SALVATION**

By YourRisingStorm

WARNING! Rating: Mature

This story contains mass-violence, blood and gore, destruction and mayhem, mild language, frightening details, spiritual content, and opinions that do not necessary reflect the reader's point of view. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

This story is a completely new Transformers franchise and all non-canon characters belong to their rightful owners respectively. Salvation is a revamped version of The Power Within, and radically changed from to more of a Cybertronian point of view. Some quotes and weapons can be referenced to War for Cybertron and the movie franchise. Note: Earth has not been discovered yet by Transformers and, therefore, there is no possible way for them to be associated with Human beings or transform into Earthy technology.

NO FLAMES! Please leave constructive criticism or friendly comments. Remember Thumper's rule: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

PART 1: The Ultimate Weapon

Prologue:

For hundreds of years, Cybertron was a peaceful and powerful empire; all who tried to end their dominant control were destroyed. But suddenly a tough gladiator named Megatron began a violent revolution in which ravaged the planet until it was consumed by death. With his evil force of Decepticons, Megatron hungered for more power and sought out any source of power, eventually claiming and consuming it. Opposite of the evil Decepticons, was Optimus Prime and his righteous Autobots and they stood in Megatron's way from achieving universal domination.

With his communications expert, Soundwave, Megatron has learned of a powerful soldier under construction at a secret Autobot research base located on Rystolth in the Dystros Region. The Decepticon leader plans on storming the base and assembles a team of his elite soldiers, destination: Rystolth…


	2. Chapter 1 Assault on Rystolth

Chapter 1: Assault on Rystolth

Rystolth. A planet originally inhabited by natives that resembled wolves until it fell under Cybertronian control, was the command and operations center of all Autobot activity in the Dystros Region. It was quite remote from other planets, excluding the fact that it orbited around a star, and far out of the range of any Decepticon warship. Quite certain that it was safe from any Decepticon threat, scientists and engineers of Autobot faction created a research base in which they could experiment new types of energy, create new weaponry, and manufacture weapons of mass destruction.

Dropshot, the lead scientist in command of all the science operations wanted to end the tyrannical rule of the evil Decepticon leader, Megatron, and so he began inventing new tactics and weapons to destroy vast numbers of Decepticons. Since he only functioned as a scientist rather than a soldier, Optimus Prime dispatched Sideswipe to command all the operations on Rystolth. The two eventually became good acquaintances and the latter taught Dropshot self-defence in exchange for new weapons.

By far the greatest creation of Dropshot was a super soldier which would be powerful enough to fight any opponent and win, no matter the size. It was also to meet the requirements of the Autobot military to be virtually indestructible and have enough firepower to down entire Decepticon battlecruisers with nary a shot. Materials of all kind were brought from all ends of the Universe, some donated by allies from other planets and the rest gathered by Autobot salvaging teams. However, Dropshot did not want to create a mindless drone as originally planned; instead he got a volunteer from the Smelting District of the Wasyt Galaxy.

This volunteer was a diminutive and timid engineer who was the smallest of his caste, but had the most courage out of all his peers and had an impressive level of intelligence for an engineer. Born without a name, he eventually was named by his fellow peers: they called him Sixshot, for it took him six attempts until he finally mastered a task regularly. All of his equivalent workers mocked him for he was "vertically-challenged" and quite different from them. The main reasons why out of all the applicants Dropshot handpicked Sixshot was because of his inventive, open mind and his quality to never give up until he discovered a new solution to any problem.

A fellow scientist who co-worked alongside with Dropshot, felt that the super soldier project deserved a more chaotic and destructive function. These feelings were exacerbated from the other scientists and engineers who despised him for his failure at every experiment he tried to create. Even when it came to repairing fellow Autobots, he only succeeded in killing them. This led to him gaining the name of Flatline since everything he touched ended up dying. Flatline hated how his co-workers treated him and thus he began to desire vengeance. One night, he slipped into the communications centre and contacted the Decepticon Communications Officer, Soundwave, and informed the Decepticon of everything the Autobots were planning. He vowed to deliver the coordinates to the base as long as they promised him sanctuary in the Decepticon ranks which he was promised. For several stellar-decacycles, no one had learned of this act of betrayal nor did Flatline get the results he anticipated…

Without warning, a Decepticon warship was detected in the Dystros Region and appeared to be closing in on Rystolth. Immediately the Autobots began defending their research base by opening fire on the warship with powerful ion turrets and their Defender vessels.

"Onward Decepticons!" Megatron ordered, "Rystolth is within range!"

"Lord Megatron, are you certain that the Autobots have even got such technology to construct a soldier of such magnitude?" one of the Decepticons enquired.

"I AM certain, Crowbar. The Autobots would not counterattack with such daring if the rumors aren't true. Destroy anything that tries to stop us!"

"Lord Megatron!" a Decepticon soldier yelled, "Stabilizers are failing!"

"Redirect all power to the main and secondary engines; I want this warship on that planet's surface immediately, Brawl!"

"Full power to the engines will cause the vessel to accelerate into the planet with a vast risk of the core detonating!" a Decepticon with a single eye retorted.

"I don't care, Shockwave! You WILL land this warship on that planet!"

The warship shuddered from a huge blast of energy from an Autobot Defender vessel.

"Megatron, scans reveal critical damage to the ship's core," Soundwave reported, "Explosion imminent."

"We're almost there! Blast those Autobot scrapheaps into oblivion!"

Two energy blasts from the main forward batteries caused the Autobot Defender to explode into a ball of flame. Side-mounted cannons annihilated several Aerialbots and disintegrated a Command Ship.

"Lord Megatron, the core is about to detonate!" Brawl called, "That Defender must have hit the core!"

"Pray that it will detonate after we land!" the Decepticon leader growled, "Maintain your course!"

"Systems critical. Core siphoning levels above normal…" Soundwave reported.

"Attempt to divert all power to the engines, Soundwave. I want that base to be rendered as Decepticon property, do you hear me?"

A sudden activation of the engines sent the warship careering into Rystolth and it crashed onto the surface with a huge explosion. After scanning the debris, the Autobots assumed all their enemies were destroyed in the crash and returned back to their base.

"Soundwave, damage report," Megatron pushed a pile of rubble of himself.

"Sensors indicate high probability of core detonation," the Communications Officer replied.

"Decepticons, get out now!" the Decepticon leader ordered.

Aside from Megatron and Soundwave, eighteen Decepticons were successful in breaking out from under the rubble and out of the ship. After three more hopped out, the warship exploded into a ball of fire.

"Brawl, status report."

"We lost no more than four soldiers and several sustained minor damage," Brawl replied.

"Good, that's better results than I anticipated."

"Megatron, scans reveal high Energon readings 40 miles north of our current position. It is statistically possible that the Autobot base is located around that position. Jamming transmissions now. Our approach should be undetected."

"Excellent, Soundwave. Decepticons, advance!"

All twenty three Decepticon soldiers transformed and advanced in the direction given out by the Communications Officer.

"Megatron, I am detecting numerous Autobot energy signatures around the source of the Energon reading. It is logical to assume that the base is in that general region."

"Blackout, maintain a low-level flight to shield your energy signature; I want the Autobots to be taken by total surprise."

"As you command, my Master," the large Cybertronian space craft complied with the order.

"Decepticons, shield your energy signatures."

Silently and swiftly, Megatron and his strike force approached the Autobot base.

"Impressive…" Barricade snarled as the Decepticons arrived at the Autobot base several cycles later, "It actually appears to be fortified."

"What do your scans detect, Soundwave?" the Decepticon leader enquired.

"Scans reveal several hundred Autobots within the base and approximately fifty aerial defenders. Our primary objective lies deep underground, four clicks north of our position."

"Several hundred Autobots?" a younger Decepticon named Ransack exclaimed, "Do we even have the capabilities to exterminate even half of them?"

"Calculating the number of enemies and the strength of their firepower, I estimate that we could run this exact mission several times again before we've used up all our reserve energy as well." Shockwave retorted, "So to answer your question: affirmative."

"I want to test my new weaponry I received," Brawl said, quite eager to start killing Autobots.

Megatron suppressed an evil chuckle, "Decepticons, begin our assault!"

As if the very words were music to the Decepticons' audio receptors, they immediately began to carry out their orders, with Blackout easily dispatching two guards.

"Megatron, it may be wise to signal Starscream to send reinforcements," Soundwave noted, "This entire planet is under Autobot control; we have no precise number of Autobots lazing about. However, I estimate at least a thousand."

"Do whatever you deem necessary, Soundwave, as long as it does not contradict with my orders."

"Affirmative." The Communications Officer watched as his leader jumped down into the battle and began to relay a message to the Decepticon Air Commander, Starscream…

"It's time for more strategic slaughter!" Megatron announced as he killed an Autobot soldier with his deadly Ionic Fusion Cannon, "Decepticons, kill them all!"

"Aw Megatron, who said that we were going to take prisoners?" Barricade asked sarcastically as he shot an enemy soldier in the chest before finishing him with a shot to the head, "I didn't even give him time to blink!"

"Decepticon invaders!" an Autobot officer exclaimed, "Autobots, defend the base!"

"Come here, Autobot drudge!" Crankcase growled as he fired at the officer who transformed and drove off deeper into the base.

"Snipers in the rafters!" Stockade warned his fellow Decepticon comrades, "Take evasive action!"

"Leave them to me," Hardtop, a crack-shot marksman, smirked as he began to target the snipers with his own Energy sniper rifle, blasting one in the head, "Oh yeah! A headshot!"

"Your marksmanship skills are satisfactory," Soundwave replied as he fired his Sonic Cannons into an Autobot, obliterating several from the powerful blast, "I very rarely miss."

A couple dozen Autobot soldiers managed to surround the Decepticon first-strike soldier, Blackout, and began to press him backwards.

"Too many Autobots," Blackout muttered, disintegrating several with a single blast of his Energy wave cannon, "Deploying Scorponok…"

After that, he launched a metallic scorpion off his back into a hapless victim who was shredded apart by the Decepticon scorpion's deadly rotating claws. A dozen more were cut down by his powerful Gatling gun which bullets ripped right through their armour.

Seeing how the Decepticons were tearing through the ranks, an officer ordered the Autobot defenders to fall back and regroup behind the walls.

"Megatron, the Autobots are retreating." Shockwave fired a pulsing blast from his AstroMag cannon.

"No. No. No. They're merely gone to regroup their numbers. We'll remain here and wait for them to return, then the slaughter can recommence."

"Lord Megatron, these Autobots have surrendered to us," Grindor reported as he brought over a group of thirty unarmed enemy soldiers.

"I have no patience for prisoners. Soundwave, you know what to do."

Soundwave laughing emotionlessly before replying, "I understand. No prisoners. Only trophies."

"Wait! You're going to kill us?" one Autobot asked fearfully, "But we surrendered! We're your prisoners!"

"Your time of functioning is up," the Communications Officer pushed an Autobot over to a group of very ecstatic and trigger-happy Decepticons who executed him without debate.

"Lord Megatron," he bowed in front of the Decepticon leader, "Spare my life and I will serve you."

"Soundwave, cease fire." The Decepticon leader sat down on a fallen pillar, "They wish to join our ranks…"

"Fat chance!" Barricade snarled, "They'll betray us later; just wait and see!"

"Does anyone else enjoy the privilege of functioning?" Megatron questioned the surrendered Autobots.

"I rather die a thousand deaths than join you!" a brave Autobot soldier retorted and all the others agreed with him.

"I see and yet you're willing to surrender," the evil leader turned his attention to the one Autobot who was bowing in front of him, "What is your designation, soldier?"

"Streak, sir. My name is Streak."

"Well then, Streak, if you wish to join my ranks, you must PROVE your loyalty first."

"I'll do anything,"

"Excellent." Megatron handed him a Hypertension Shotgun, "Execute your enemies."

At first Streak hesitated. One of the captured soldiers was a friend of his and he could not bear the thought of killing him, but he did not want to be terminated any time soon either.

"Don't do it, Streak!" one of the Autobots snapped, "You're better than that!"

"My patience is at a critical low, Streak." Megatron growled, "I may change my mind if you don't choose now."

"Never!" Streak aimed the gun at one of his comrades and executed him. He then did the same until one remained, his friend.

"Streak, don't," his friend pleaded, "It's me, Bugle!"

The traitorous Autobot ignored his friend and executed him with a single shot to the head.

"Excellent," the Decepticon leader commended, "But before we grant you access into the Decepticon ranks, what do you have to offer that I will find beneficial to the Decepticon cause?"

"I happen to know where every Autobot base and command center is in this galaxy; I can provide coordinates and targets among them."

Megatron smirked at this proposition, "For now we will require your services here; the secret project in this base must become Decepticon property, and all theses Autobots slaughtered."

"Bring on all the fools!" Streak agreed, "I have a strong desire to start a kill streak!"

"Then that's what you shall be for now on: Killstreak!"

Killstreak smiled at his new name, and his Autobot insignia began to fade, being replaced by the one of the evil Decepticons.

"Megatron, scans reveal enemy forces amassing behind the walls of the base. It is statistically unlikely that we can defeat them all." Soundwave reported.

"We got hostiles coming from all directions!" Brawl yelled, "I estimate a couple hundred!"

"Decepticons, hold your position until Starscream arrives with reinforcements!"

Suddenly the Decepticons were completely surrounded and were forced to surrender when the Autobots brought in heavy soldiers and air support. Despite trying to fight back, several Decepticons were ultimately relieved of their weapons and arrested.

"Surrender Decepticons or be destroyed!" an Autobot ordered, kicking Soundwave onto the ground after he tried to obliterate a writhing opponent.

"This is humiliating!" Barricade growled as an Autobot removed him off his weapons and pushed him into the circle as well, "What's your plan now, Megatron?"

"We let them capture us so we can be brought inside and infiltrate the base from within. Now be silent; we don't need the Autobots knowing our plans."

"Move the prisoners inside," Sideswipe, the senior officer in charge of the base, ordered.

"Captain Sideswipe, we have a Decepticon battlecrusier enclosing on the planet!" an Autobot intelligence officer reported, "Orders, sir."

"Take it out then arrest the occupants on board." The Autobot captain walked over to the prisoners, noticing the Decepticon leader, "Megatron, isn't it?"

The Decepticon leader ignored him but growled when Sideswipe put stasis cuffs on his wrists, "I never thought that it would be me capturing you. Now you have to stand trial for all the crimes you've committed against the Universe."

"I am not defeated yet," Megatron retorted, "I'm simply captured."

"Along with your high-ranking officers. Now we can end this war." He moved over to Soundwave and put stasis cuffs on the Communications Officer's wrists, "Groove, how long until we can get a prisoner transport on this planet?"

"A few stellar-cycles," Groove replied putting stasis cuffs on Brawl.

"When I get free of these, I'm going put these around your neck, son!" the Decepticon soldier snarled.

"Son? How dare you insult me!"

"Fine. Glitch…"

Shortly later, the Decepticons were all securely bound and were led into the base, all going perfectly in correspondence to Megatron's plan. Then they were cast into a prison cell on the lower levels of the base.

"I hope this plan works effectively, Megatron." Barricade got off the ground and his stasis cuffs fell off his wrists as energy beams sealed the prison shut.

A loud explosion informed the captured Decepticons of the battle with Starscream and the Autobots. But Megatron was more interested in hearing the scientists talking below their floor…


	3. Chapter 2 Two Deadly Weapons

Chapter 2: Two Deadly Weapons: Courage and Fear

Tranquility, home of the Autobot headquarters, was a lush planet located some 800 million parcycles from Rystolth in the Colossus Galaxy, and was filled with intelligent life that resembled dragons. When the planet was invaded by the Decepticons, the Autobots quickly came to their rescue and defeated the evil Cybertronians. Grateful, the leader of the dragons known as Hablano Primzahl granted the Autobots sanctuary on their planet, the first nation to do so for the Autobots. So Jazz established their headquarters on the planet and set up a Grid to communicate with all the Autobots across the Universe.

When Optimus Prime learned of the Decepticon invasion of Rystolth, he was quite alarmed and got prepared to dispatch reinforcements. And when word of all the Decepticons being captured come, he was worried even more; he knew that Megatron could not be so easily captured unless he wanted to be caught. Immediately he went to the Grid control room to contact Sideswipe.

"Sideswipe this Optimus Prime. Come in."

"Optimus Prime? Captain Sideswipe reporting, sir."

"It has come to my attention that your planet was attacked by Decepticons,"

"There's no need to worry about it, Prime. We have successfully destroyed one warship and forced a battlecrusier to land. All the Decepticons who were not killed were arrested."

"But I hear that among the Decepticons you have captured is Megatron along with his high-ranking officers to name a few: Blackout, Shockwave, Starscream, and Soundwave."

"Yes, that is correct. I require a prisoner transport to transfer them to Tranquility to stand trial for their crimes against the Universe and so-on-and-so-forth."

"But how much resistance did you receive when you captured them?"

"… minimal resistance, sir,"

"Just as I feared."

"What? You think that they "wanted" to get captured?"

"Affirmative."

"Oh no, what are we going to do?"

"For now, keep constant surveillance on the prison level. I am on my way so do not do anything rash until I arrive with the prisoner transport."

"If Megatron wanted to get captured, is it possible that he wanted to be locked in the base because he knows about the super soldier project?"

"I fear so, Sideswipe. Maintain maximum security for the prison level until I arrive. Optimus Prime, out."

For a while, Optimus Prime stared out of the large window that enabled a fantastic view of Tranquility for anyone who decided to gaze out of it. The beautiful, lush vegetated planet was truly a remarkable sight since there was nothing like it on Cybertron, his homeworld, nor had he seen it on any other planet they visited aside from Rystolth. Somehow he had a vision of Megatron's plans for accepting arrest on Rystolth; Optimus knew that Megatron planned on counteracting all the current work on the super soldier project and was interested into making it into a feared weapon to bring death and chaos. It all made sense now. Ultimately, Megatron's goal was to create an unstoppable weapon for purging all non-Cybertronian races from the Universe. And if he succeeded in his plan, Optimus Prime knew that the iridescent world of Tranquility would burn.

"Commander Jazz, report to the Grid command center immediately."

How did Megatron discover the secret operations occurring on Rystolth? All information being passed along was extremely decrypted into almost a brand new language, and all the Autobots present were sworn to high secrecy. The only logical answer was Soundwave. Spymaster extraordinaire, Soundwave was by far the most amazing Cybertronian alive, in Optimus Prime's point of view. He was well-aware that even if there were a couple Decepticons, as long as Megatron had Soundwave, he could continue his war. Secretly, Optimus envied Megatron for having possession over the communications expert; if the Autobots were to have Soundwave on strength, they could end the war. Mind-boggling amounts of information flowed in Soundwave's database and entire statistics of legitimately everything in the known Universe flooded his memory banks. By far as it seemed, the side that possessed the most intelligence would win the war… as of right now, the Decepticons were winning.

As he continued to view the landscape, his thoughts were disturbed by the thought of Autobots being slaughtered on Rystolth or a certain few siding with the Decepticons. What would become of his friend, Sideswipe? Would he be terminated? Would he be forced to join the Decepticon ranks? Time would tell, he finally decided and awaited the arrival of his second-in-command.

A sleek Cybertronian sports car sped into the centre and transformed with a stylish one-handstand, completed with a backflip into Commander Jazz.

"Ya wanted ta see meh, Prime?"

"Affirmative. I need you to assemble a crew for a prisoner transport along with our elite warriors present on Tranquility. Our destination is Rystolth."

"Rystolth, Prime? Wut good is out there? Reports o' the place say it contains undetermined life forms..."

"Are you contradicting orders?"

"Negative. I shall carry 'em out." With that the second-in-command transformed and drove away.

_I apologize if I never informed you of what is actually out there, and if you feel deceived or betrayed in anyway, Jazz, _Optimus Prime thought, _but you would never understand such reasons for establishing a secret base._

"Lieutenant Sunstreaker, I require you presence in the Grid command centre."

A golden Cybertronian mech walked into the room, snapping to attention, "You have acquired my presence, sir."

"Good. I am leaving you in command of all the operations of Tranquility temporarily as my attention is needed elsewhere. Can I rely on you do so?"

"You can bet your life on it, Boss!"

Optimus Prime nodded and walked out of the Grid command centre, and transformed into alt-form once he reached the highway. A couple of reckless Autobots rushed down the path, almost cutting off their leader.

"You could exercise a bit more control," he scolded the young Autobot cars who transformed into protoform and apologized for their misconduct. They were acknowledged and waved off as he continued on his way down to the Spaceship Docks.

"Well, if it ain't Optimus Prime!" the aged Autobot known as Ironhide accredited the Autobot leader as he exited off the highway, "I hear we have Decepticon trouble down in Rystolth."

"That is affirmative, my old friend. Sideswipe has managed to secure the base but Megatron and his soldiers accompanying him accepted arrest. I have a feeling that Megatron wants to be inside the base."

"An' you got a feelin' that they ain't gonna be friendly once they bust out…"

"Frankly, yes."

"Well, I got some news fer you, Prime, we have received a distress beacon from Rystolth… it seems the Decepti-creeps weren't gonna wait fer us to arrive."

"Seriously?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Hearing this, Optimus Prime issued strict orders to get airborne ASAP. At once the crew began powering up the transport and the elite soldiers, one of them being Ironhide, boarded the vessel.

"Ready ta go, Prime!" Jazz reported as Optimus walked into the bridge of the ship.

"Good. Let's roll!"

The engines roared to life as the prisoner transport lifted off the ground and exited out of the atmosphere of Tranquility, destination: Rystolth.

"Primus, I hope we're not too late…" Optimus Prime muttered to himself as the ship entered a space bridge located fifty miles from Exodus, the planet's satellite.

"Prime, uh, if ya don't mind meh asking, but why do we need a prisoner transport if there's nuthin' out there in that region o' space? Ah mean, that's wut it looks like as far as it came across ta meh…" Jazz enquired, feeling rather curious about the mission to Rystolth.

"No one except for Ironhide, all the Autobots stationed on that planet, and I actually know of what operations occur on Rystolth, Jazz. Since our mission demands us to go there, I will now inform you of what has actually been blinded from your knowledge. The planet of Rystolth is one of our top essential bases to our survival in this war, as it is utterly confidential in the operations that occur there. Some of the finest scientists in the known Universe are there right now ask we speak, working on creating new weapons for us, researching chemicals for new sources of energy, and building a super soldier for us. A little while ago, the planet, although all information about it was confidential, was invaded by two Decepticon warships. The first one contained Megatron, most of his top-ranking officers, and a few soldiers while the other that came later was commanded by Starscream and carried about two hundred enemy soldiers. They were all contained when I last contacted Captain Sideswipe who is in charge of the base, but Ironhide recently informed me that they sent a distress beacon… I fear the worst…"

Jazz was taken aback, "Ya never told meh about this, Optimus? Why? Ah've always bin yer loyal friend an' subordinate officer… why would ya keep a secret from meh?"

"My deepest apologies if you feel betrayed, Jazz… but I told them that I would only inform Ironhide because he's in charge of the weapons, and I did not want him to be all suspicious about where all the weaponry was coming from. If there was no one in charge of the weapons, I swear that I would have been the only one who knew of this."

His second-in-command did feel betrayed; Optimus Prime knew it. He could see the look in the mech's optics and his continuous perky smile was vanquished, "Ya have told meh things that no one else has ever known about ya, but ya would not tell meh this cuz ya thought that Ah would be too irresponsible to hold onto such information."

"I solemnly promise that I will no longer harbour secrets from you, not as your leader but as your friend." The Autobot commander extended his hand forward, "Do you accept my apology?"

Knowing that he was sincere, Jazz shook hands with him and nodded his response, but he did make a mental note to be wary of his commander's trust. Apparently as leader over the Autobots, Optimus was losing sight of their friendship that they had shared for the past hundred stellar-spans, and he was well aware that he was only being seen as a soldier under Prime's authority.

It just was not like Optimus to do that to him. Jazz recalled when his friend told him about a time when he was just a Sparkling and got lost on another world all alone until the Cybertronian Adventure Squad rescued him and returned to Cybertron. No other mech knew of that tale and Optimus had asked Jazz to keep it a secret from all others, which he obliged. To make certain that it remained a secret, Jazz had erased all databases, records, Archives, and chronicles that contained information about the planet that he too forgot the name of. Due to this, the planet remained hidden from all Cybertronians, including the malevolent Decepticons because it did not exist in any documented records. After doing so, Optimus thanked his friend and told him that he would always trust Jazz no matter the case… or was it so?

Now that he thought of it, Jazz began to ponder and dwell on it. That planet… Optimus had said that he felt that it was perhaps the most vital planet in existence for Cybertronians, because it produced Energon naturally. Not a single planet, either than Cybertron, that they visited, had a single trace of the essential liquid that kept them all alive. Despite all the Energon that they had salvaged from their dying world, Jazz was alerted by the fact that it was depleting faster than they had anticipated. Even the Decepticons were running out of it, which made their attacks seem more desperate. Megatron was in search of Energon and every time he and his soldiers invaded Autobot bases, they were certain to steal the valuable necessity. Could this planet be their salvation… or would it be their destruction?

It was impossible to determine, now that the planet was purely unknown to the Cybertronians. Jazz was starting to feel foolish for erasing such data. No. It was best that he did because even though they had no idea where it was, the Decepticons were just as blind. But something that made him uncertain was whether Soundwave had downloaded all the databases, records, Archives, and chronicles prior to that important data being eliminated. He hoped not… but then again if Soundwave did, the Decepticons would have the largest amount of stockpiled Energon and would have won the war already. The amount of Energon depletion on both sides was bad enough and due to this, Decepticon incursions had almost dwindled to none, except for on rare occasions. In fact, several enemy soldiers were lazing about on Tranquility and could actually be counted as comrades now.

Listening to some tunes he had stored in his databanks from Cybertron, Jazz began to imagine just what a planet could like if it produced Energon naturally. Images of a new Cybertron filled his processor and he smiled to himself, a new Cybertron to inhabit again for millenniums to come. Those phased into a primitive world, now that he remembered Optimus claiming it to be non-advanced in any way. But yet, even the slightest thought of such a planet brought joy to Jazz; they would not perish. Yes, maybe this planet would be their salvation.

"Ironhide callin' Jazz!" the aged Autobot shouted into his left audio receptor.

"Wut? Wut?"

"What were you doin'? Daydreamin' on the job, now?"

"No…"

"Prime wants to talk to you," Ironhide kicked Jazz in the foot in a friendly but bossy manner.

"Lucky meh," Jazz grumbled and walked over to his commander and saluted, "Yes Optimus?"

The Autobot leader looked away from him… he was hurting. This made the second-in-command hurt too; Optimus Prime may not have been untrustworthy at the current cycle, but that did not break their friendship at all.

"Optimus? Wut's eatin' yer circuits?"

"I just established contacted with a surviving Autobot from Rystolth. He says that aside from a few others, everyone else had been slaughtered. They demand immediate evacuation."

"Even Sideswipe?" Jazz's bright blue optics widened.

"It appears that Megatron got exactly what he wanted. The entire planet is under Decepticon control now; he warned me about heavy resistance."

"Wut's the mech's designation?"

"Dino."

"Like dee-no? That's a peculiar name,"

Optimus Prime nodded and sank back into his command seat, thinking about all the innocent lives that had been mercilessly vanquished.

"What are we fighting for, Jazz?"

"Wut do ya mean?"

"This war has been going on for far too long, Jazz. We're nearly out of Energon, Megatron has gotten his hands on perhaps the most powerful weapon in the Universe, and I can't do a slagging thing about it!"

"Whoa there, Optimus!" his second-in-command exclaimed, "Git a grip o' yerself, mech! Billions, if not trillions, of innocent lives will be eradicated if we don't oppose Megatron. They died defending wut is right; it is an honour to die for a cause like ours."

"I'm in distress, Jazz… I don't know if I can continue this anymore."

"Don't say that, Prime! There are thousands of Autobots across the stars who look up to ya for leadership and guidance; if ya start saying our cause is lost, they'll believe it!"

"They don't know any better! Primus, if it wasn't for me, none of them would be in this situation!"

Jazz smacked Prime's faceplate hard, "If it wasn't for ya, they would all be dead or servin' Megatron!"

At once, Optimus Prime's conscious returned and he felt very foolish for speaking in such a manner, "I… am… sorry… I don't know what came over me…"

"I'll tell ya wut came over ya; it was fear! Ya even said that fear can destroy entire militaries; now don't let it destroy ya."

"You're right. I over-reacted out of fear." Optimus looked over at all his soldiers who were staring at him, wondering if this was the Optimus Prime who spoke of freedom and deliverance, "And it shall have no power in my ranks! Fear is a device of Megatron that he uses to corrupt and destroy, and it is perhaps his most deadly weapon aside from the physical. There should be no need to seek it, when Courage is an alternative to it. Without Fear, we will be able to conquer the Decepticons and restore peace and security to the Universe! Take up Courage, my friends! Face the deadly sword with a bold spirit; face the enemy in the optic with a defiant Spark and watch Fear overtake them! Even if our enemy seems to have all the advantages, they lack one powerful weapon: Courage. Use it, my brothers, and let it restore a sound mind to all of you when you're not fighting. We will fight with it and we will triumph! Till all are one!"

TILL ALL ARE ONE! TILL ALL ARE ONE! Every Autobot aside from Optimus Prime chanted.

"That's the Optimus Prime Ah know!" Jazz smiled to himself as he watched the Autobots who were previously trembling now looking bold, steadfast, and proud. He secretly disconnected a direct line to all the Autobots across the stars; they all heard Optimus Prime's motivational speech and felt proud to wear the Autobot insignia. Even they began chanting "Till all are one" loudly, and when the Decepticons heard the chant, they backed away and retreated in fear.

"Autobots, we have brothers down on Rystolth who need rescue. Let us not forsaken them!"

"Full speed ahead to Rystolth!" an enthusiastic Autobot officer declared.

Every Autobot cheered loudly, feeling their courage increase drastically, and they began to anticipate their arrival onto Rystolth…


	4. Chapter 3 Awakened Destruction

Chapter 3 Awakened Destruction

Rystolth was in chaos. In a split second, Soundwave had deployed a smaller Cybertronian called Rumble who easily fit through the energy beams and smashed the control panel, dissolving the energy barriers and the Decepticons were unleashed. Every Autobot was quickly terminated… except for Groove; Brawl kept his promise and literally attached stasis cuffs to his neck, then impaled him on a pole outside the base that had quickly fallen under Decepticon control. Megatron felt he could gain more soldiers so when they broke into the command centre, he gave them the option of surrendering and joining his ranks, or defy and face termination. Without argument, thirty Autobot officers quickly turned on the defiant, and their faction logo changed to that of the Decepticons.

"Megatron, subjugation of the base is at 85.4% complete." Soundwave reported.

"I think we should pay a visit to the scientists on the lower levels," the Decepticon leader smirked, "I trust your ally, Flatline, is present with them, Soundwave?"

"Affirmative."

"Megatron, this is Starscream. All Autobot aerial resistance has been crushed," a transmission came through on the comlink, "However Thundercracker believes there may be several other bases on the planet. Permission to investigate?"

"Do what you must, Starscream. But give them the chance to join our ranks."

"I shall, Mightiness!"

Barricade raised an optic at Megatron, "I don't know, Megatron. That Starscream character can't be trusted in any way. I suggest we terminate him before he gets out of hand."

"Starscream is loyal to me, Barricade. I trust that you're not jealous of his lofty position?"

Without further argument, the Destruction Patrol captain followed his leader to a door that had been welded shut by the terrified scientists and engineers on the other side. Unimpressed, Megatron ordered Brawl to blow it open which the trigger-happy Decepticon soldier eagerly obliged with.

Megatron and his soldiers casually strolled into the science lab, catching all the Autobots present by surprise and they watched their enemy walk in.

"This base is now Decepticon property; SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!" Megatron threatened, noticing among the scientists was the Autobot captain, Sideswipe, "Or face termination!"

A lowly, red-optic Autobot scientist was the first to surrender and he walked over to the Decepticons, a small smirk on his expression. This must be Flatline, the Decepticon leader thought. He was about to say something else when he watched an awestruck Shockwave walk through the Autobot ranks, staring at something.

"It is the most beautiful masterpiece I have ever seen," the mad Decepticon scientist marvelled, "Oh how incredible would it be if it had a few additions of my own."

All the Decepticons quickly discovered that Shockwave was marvelled over the super soldier project that had not even been concealed from the Autobots.

The mastermind behind it, Dropshot, spoke up, "Yes, it is truly a masterpiece that I crafted into almost perfection… yes, I also do claim responsibility for its creation."

"Is it a mindless drone?"

"No… it's not." All the other scientists that were working with him suddenly stared at him with wide optics… Dropshot had never told them that he never went along with the plan of creating a drone, "It is just as alive as you and I."

"Absolutely fascinating," Shockwave commended the Autobot scientist, "I never anticipated an Autobot to have such a… remarkable imagination to invent such a weapon!"

"I helped design it," Flatline growled, now with a Decepticon logo on his chest, "Don't forget that."

"Imagine what achievements we can reach with it!"

"Yes Shockwave, we're all very aware of how excited you are," Barricade scowled.

"I am imagining…" Dropshot thought, his Autobot insignia converting to that of the Decepticons'.

With eyes burning with hatred, Megatron turned his head over in the direction of Sideswipe, "You're the only important officer left on this planet… and you still refuse to surrender."

The red Cybertronian slowly began to back away from the Decepticon leader, "I don't wish to be turned into useless scrap metal… nor do I wish to serve you."

"Make your decision quickly, Sideswipe. I do not have patience this current solar cycle."

Sideswipe refused and looked away from Megatron when he noticed the Decepticon leader holding a cube of Energon in his left hand.

"Is that… Energon?"

"Of course it is." At first he was confused then he realized how to win Sideswipe over, "Oh, you desire this precious liquid, don't you?"

"I haven't had a drop in over thirty stellar-spans…" the Autobot captain cautiously edged closer to his nemesis, watching in despair as he began to drink the contents, greedily, "It would do me great pleasure if I could feel its rich properties in my mouth once more…"

"I cannot share with you; you're my enemy."

"Can we put aside faction differences? I NEED Energon… I desire it…"

"No can do, Autobot." Brawl caught on with Megatron's plan and began to drink from a cube too.

Soon twenty Decepticons were doing so and Sideswipe watched helplessly along with his few soldiers that were also succumbing to Megatron's plan.

"Megatron, we should at least share one cube," Barricade suggested, "Besides, there's thousands more where these came from."

His leader nodded and the Decepticon tossed a cube of Energon over to the Autobots, who immediately began to quarrel over it. Quite entertained, their enemies watched as Sideswipe literally kill one of his own followers in pure desperation to have it for himself. He repeated this process until all what was left of his soldiers was corpses and he stood triumphant. Seizing the Energon cube, he hissed his threats at all others who may take it from him and began to gulp it down greedily.

"That proverb is correct: 'the quickest way to one's allegiance is through his fuel tank'… it's interesting how it also applies to the strongest-willed of all the Autobots." Megatron scoffed, enjoying every moment of it, "Sideswipe, if you join the Decepticons, you can have all the Energon you desire."

"All mine?" Sideswipe asked as he emptied that cube and stared wide-eyed as Megatron tossed up and down another, "That could be mine?"

"Yes. It just requires the right answer."

"I will… now GIVE ME THAT CUBE!"

Like a man tossing a treat to their dog, Megatron tossed the cube to Sideswipe whose insignias faded from Autobot to Decepticon.

"He behaves like a Cybercat with the slightest scrap of metal," Killstreak laughed. He never imagined his former captain to behave in such a low manner.

"I think it's fair to say that now this base is completely under my rule."

Several Decepticons agreed with him and joined him in laughing at Sideswipe. Soundwave was one of them until his scanners detected Autobot activity outside the base.

"Megatron, my scanners detect Autobot activity five clicks outside the base. Recommendation: destroy enemy soldiers." He reported.

"Brawl, take Killstreak and exterminate these Autobot dissents."

"With pleasure!" Brawl and Killstreak transformed and left the science lab.

Now free to do anything he wished without defiance, Megatron walked over to the super soldier, laughing manically as he went. Several charges of energy were emerging in his hands and he blasted the project.

"Forgive me for questioning you, my lord," Blackout, the tallest Cybertronian present, said, "But what did you do to the super soldier with those energies?"

"I have mastered a technique that one would claim impossible, my loyal hound. And through this skill, I passed my collective, passive lust for destruction and chaos into his circuitry. Now he is programmed for sheer, unrelenting destruction, loyal to me ONLY."

All who were present gathered around their leader as one of the hands of the super soldier clenched into a mighty first, the sound reverberated all around the room.

"He's awakening!" Sideswipe yelled, quite terrified of the newly-crazed super soldier.

"Steady yourself, coward!" Megatron scolded, "He will not harm us…"

The stasis cuffs that confined him on the berth were utterly useless as they broke apart as he hardly mustered any strength to break free from them. Several more restraints were shattered from the intense strength contained within the super soldier. Lastly his optics opened, glowing blood-red and as blank as the Abyss itself.

The smaller scientists hid behind larger soldiers, intensely petrified of the fearsome super soldier that they had created… but even Megatron's top-ranking Decepticons were backing off. Not even the mad scientist, Shockwave, was standing near; he was backed along the wall along with the others.

"I am Sixshot." The emotionless voice associated with the fearsome structure said, "I am your Destruction."

"Sixshot, you're activation will become the Destruction of all those who oppose us," the Decepticon leader stated, "Whom do you serve?"

After an eerie silence, Sixshot replied: "Megatron!"

"I am he."

"Your command is my life."

"HAHAHAHAHA! I, Megatron, have created the most deadly weapon in the known Universe! The Universe will hear my name and TREMBLE!"

"All hail Megatron!" Blackout shouted.

HAIL MEGATRON! The Decepticons chanted, MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

At first the scientists and the newly-joined Decepticons were unsure of whether or not to join in with the chanting, until Megatron retorted, "I cannot hear you!"

MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

"FOR GLORY!"

MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

Outside the base, despite being underground, the Decepticons outside, who continued to battle the Autobots, heard the chant and they began to join in.

MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

As the chant carried on outside, the Autobots began to back away; the chant repelled them and infused fear into their Sparks. Some in fear also began to chant for unknown reasons, but all who chanted along with the evil Decepticons had their insignias transform into Decepticon logos.

All across the planet, Megatron's name was chanted. It was the Decepticons' indirect way to tell the Autobots that they ultimately had won, and they should side with them. And it worked! A Decepticon, if alone, was chanting and surrounded by Autobots, would realize that half of them began to chant as well.

MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

Accepting the praise, Megatron indulged in it. He knew that they feared him no matter how powerful they were; he had the most fierce weapon standing behind his right shoulder. Then Megatron silenced them, and nodded to Soundwave to broadcast this message:

Citizens of Rystolth! This is Megatron, your conqueror. Your defences have fallen and succumbed to my will and my power. However, rejoice for I have delivered you from Autobot tyranny; no longer will you have to submit to their ways and leadership. All I require of you is your service and allegiance. In return, I shall grant you sanctuary, peace, and freedom. Under Decepticon rule, you won't have to worry about a status quo for all are free to be whoever they so desire. Therefore, my brethren, look towards a new age… a Decepticon age and it shall be glorious! Rout out all dissenters; destroy all who crush this goal; pledge your allegiance to me and to your new name, for you are now all DECEPTICONS!

MEGATRON! MEGATRON! MEGATRON!

"Go now, Decepticons," he commanded those present in the science lab, "Spread the Decepticon influence across this planet and KILL all those who oppose us. Do this, for your Master."

All the Decepticons transformed into their alt-modes and left, except for Sixshot, Soundwave, Shockwave, Blackout, and Sideswipe… he had other orders for them. Without care of how mad his scientist was, he granted Shockwave complete access to the science lab. Following that, he tasked his loyal lieutenant, Soundwave, with maintaining planetary communications and intelligence. Looking at his newest officer, Sideswipe, he ordered the former Autobot to be in command of the recruitment of new Decepticon soldiers, under the watchful eye of his loyal hound, Blackout.

"You have your assignments; now be off with the lot of you!"

There were no objections to the commands; they were all well-aware that every order of Megatron defined whether or not they shall live to enjoy another solar-cycle.

"Come with me, Sixshot," the Decepticon leader finally said once his officers were gone, "I have some important undertakings for your capacity to handle."

As the two left the experimentation lab as Shockwave recently designated it, Megatron gave further orders to his other officers as he passed them. Barricade was given absolute control over military and civil law enforcements, Brawl had full access to all munitions and weapon-related stocks of the planet, and Grindor was placed in command of the land operations of Rystolth and commanded to inform Blackout that he was in charge of all Decepticon military operations. Hardtop was assigned the job of assembling a team of marksmen, while Crankcase and Crowbar were given the brutal task of "dealing" with any future dissenters, Killstreak was made Brawl's 2IC, and Reverb was tasked with reporting to the Communications Officer Soundwave.

"Sixshot, there are a few targets that I have in mind. I want you to destroy them."

"Certainly." Sixshot lifted up powerful weapons identified as Sonic Barrage pistols, "What are the targets?"

"Three planets: Ys'Devian, Mumu Obscura, and Dastrylk. Each planet has harboured a certain subject that requires purging. Ys'Devian harbours Autobot manufacturing plants, Dastrylk contains inferior life forms that are too useless to be alive, and lastly Mumu Obscura has been invaded by the fearsome Reapers. I do not expect you to survive; however if you do, I'll have more assignments for you. You are to be known as my personal assassin… or better yet, the Iron Fist of Megatron. Do you comply?"

"Completely, Lord Megatron."

"Excellent! Now go; kill, eradicate, destroy, wreak havoc, strike terror into every core of life form on those planets so they shall hear my name and tremble. But do not negotiate; kill them all!"

"Those words seem resoundingly beautiful to my audio receptors," the ice-cold voice replied, "I shall return soon, my lord."

To quickly gain immediate honour and recognition in Megatron's sight, Sixshot bowed meekly and noticed a smile of contentment on his Master's faceplate. After doing so, he transformed into one of his alt-modes which was a dual-barreled all-weather Cybertronian assault jet.

"A brilliant scheme, Lord Megatron!" the ever-so sycophantic Starscream declared as he approached his leader, "Break into the Autobots' base and turn their own greatest weapon against them!"

"Yes Starscream, but I'm surprised at how long that took for your meagre mind to comprehend. This new super weapon, Sixshot, will pave the way for a new Cybertronian age, one in which will be paved with the corpses of our enemies and all other traitors."

"So, he is your Harbinger of Destruction then, Master?"

"He will be my greatest triumph… the Autobots' surprise will be total."

"So impressive!"

Megatron nodded before asking, "Did you do exactly what you set out on doing, Starscream?"

"Of course, Mightiness! The Autobots surrendered almost immediately after hearing the glorious chanting of your name and power!"

"Who is dominant of the skies?"

"Your mighty Seekers rule the skies, my lord."

"Good. Very good." The Decepticon leader paused for a moment then looked over at his 2IC, "Do you know what conquest is?"

"Affirmative! Conquest is made up of the ashes of one's enemies; you've instructed me of this before, Master… why do you question my knowledge of this?"

"I need to confirm whether or not I can count on you to continue my path of conquest if I am ever absent… or deceased."

"You're considering me for your successor? None, not even I, could ever be as great as you!"

"I am AWARE of this. It is prudent to have a back-up system in case the mainframe fails. You are so far the only one I can rely on to continue my war with sheer ruthlessness and unrelenting hatred."

Starscream edged closer to his leader, "But what of your other faithful subjects: Shockwave, Soundwave, and Blackout to name a few?"

"Shockwave's insanity would only lead to the Decepticons' downfall. As for Soundwave and Blackout, they would be more of use serving rather than leading."

"You believe I have leadership potential, Master?"

"Is not that why you are second to me?" Megatron retorted.

"Forgive me for questioning your will, Lord Megatron." Starscream humbly bowed.

A quick nod of the head was the only answer he received along with the task of being dominant over the skies. His loyal second-in-command bowed once more before transforming into alt-mode and flying away.

"He's strong, Blackout." Megatron answered a low growl from behind his right shoulder, "He will remain loyal to the Decepticon cause."

"But he is young, reckless, and ambitious… he may contrive other plans against your will."

"That is why I have him under your wing for guidance; he may be 2IC but he will have to submit to your wishes too. If I am ever absent, I shall expect him to be Acting Leader and you to serve as his 2IC."

"There is a high possibility that he would appoint Thundercracker that position."

"Your logic is sound, my trusted adviser, but Starscream cannot have someone who cannot advise efficiently for a 2IC or a 3IC for that matter. I trust Starscream more than I trust any other Seeker; if you find non-confidence with him, I'll consider changing my absence command structure."

Blackout nodded, "After all, he does bear resemblance with that Autobot…"

"Don't mention it to him,"

"As you command, Lord Megatron. I rest my case." The Hound of Megatron transformed to alt-mode and flew off to attend to his undertaking.

"Beware Optimus Prime, I have untethered your Destruction," Megatron warned out loud.


	5. Chapter 4 Processor or Mind?

Chapter 4 Processor or Mind?

"Sir, we're coming up to Rystolth," an Autobot pilot named Hound reported.

"Prepare for anything," Optimus Prime told his fellow Autobots, "Rescuing our brothers will not be an easy task; Megatron is likely to have to entire planet under his control."

"I'm detecting a Decepticon energy signature leaving the planet's atmosphere and coming fast," Prowl, a somewhat skeptical lieutenant, called.

"Which Decepticon is it? That lil Starscream fella?" Ironhide asked.

"No, it's bigger," the skeptical lieutenant said, "I've never seen this guy before…"

The Autobot brought it up on the screen at the request of Optimus Prime. A large Cybertronian assault jet with front-mounted dual cannons was leaving the planet at a high speed; Decepticon insignias were on the vertical stabilizers and on the wings.

"Who is that, Prime?" Jazz asked, "Ah've never seen 'im before…"

"It could be Thunderbolt," Hound guessed.

"That is none of the Decepticons we know," Optimus Prime, "I fear that may be the super soldier."

The prisoner transport vessel started to shake as a terrible thunder of the power engines of the assault jet emitted as it roared over the Autobot vessel.

"Hound, what is the destination of that Decepticon jet?"

"Tracking its course now… it may be heading for Dastrylk, Prime." The Autobot pilot replied.

A silence fell over the Autobot crew as they viewed the planet that's airspace was controlled by Seeker fighters and they could see large Decepticon insignias all across the planet. Every inch of Rystolth was without a doubt under the enemy's control, and it hardly looked like a war had raged on it. It seemed that the Decepticons had conquered the Autobots with words than weapons.

"We will not abandon our Autobot brothers," Optimus Prime walked over to a landing vessel, "Who's coming with me?"

"May mah Spark be extinguished before Ah turn mah back on ya, Prime!" Jazz clasped hands with his leader and friend, "Ah'm with ya to the very end."

"No way am I gonna let you take all da credit fer yerselves," Ironhide cracked his knuckles, "I'm always ready ta bust some Decepticons."

Several other Autobots joined them and they all walked inside the landing vessel, with Jazz ordered to fly it down to Rystolth.

"I haven't met some of you," the Autobot leader said, "Please state your names."

"My name is Ricochet," an Autobot with an alt-mode of a construction vehicle responded.

"I'm Hot Shot," another who seemed to be a sports car said.

"Trax. Everyone calls me Trax." The largest Autobot who was a former battle-hardened gladiator, a rare occurrence to be an Autobot, growled lowly, "And this is Skids… my brother in arms."

"And I'm Jackpot," the final Autobot replied.

"If we do not return, my brothers, I just want to say that it has been an honour serving with you all." Optimus Prime nodded and looked out the window, "We're now in the atmosphere…"

Almost immediately, the landing vessel was pounced upon by Seekers who recognized it to be Autobot, with their missile racks and ionized cannons all launched their deadly contents upon the vessel. Optimus thought that perhaps it was a bad idea for having Jazz as a pilot… he flew it as if it were a fighter, rolling and spinning it to avoid every barrage of missiles and bullets.

Once the vessel had steadied for a brief second, Ironhide glanced out the cockpit and spied a group of a dozen robots, which appeared to be Autobots, being heavily pursued by Decepticon soldiers.

"Look right dere!" he called, "Dat's 'em!"

Jazz successfully landed the vessel in a thick forest quite close to the troubled Autobots. At once all the Autobots jumped out of the spacecraft assuming alt-mode and charging after their friends.

"Come here, Decepticon punk!" Jazz shouted as he assumed protoform on top of a Decepticon tank and knocked off his rocket launchers.

This act of bravery did not last very long and turned out to be more futile when the Decepticon transformed and threw Jazz into a tree. But the second-in-command Autobot was tougher than his size revealed him to be, and got back into the fracas.

In charge of the Decepticon group was none other than the ruthless Barricade who was probably no taller than Jazz, but was much stronger. Without warning he transformed and unleashed a barrage of bullets upon all the Autobots, before flipping over a rocket fire by Ironhide and transforming his hand into a small Energon dagger which he stabbed into Jackpot's processor. Jackpot's dying screams filled the entire forest and alerted other Decepticons that there were more Autobots to slaughter. Barricade ripped his blade out of the dead Autobot's processor, spilling Energon all over the ground.

_This must be Barricade_, Optimus Prime thought, a little marvelled by the skill and speed that came from every attack from the Decepticon. Despite his size, Barricade had actually been counted among the few Decepticons to be rendered extremely dangerous; Jazz and the latter had fought before in which the commander almost did not get out alive.

By the time he had charged up his ion blaster to give a falling shot to a Decepticon car, Barricade had torn through the Autobots single-handedly, crippling Trax and killing Skids. However the Decepticon law enforcer was no match for more experience opponents who had wiped out his entire squad. Soon the Decepticon stood alone and was surrounded by the Autobots and his prey, who he had been pursuing before the tide changed suddenly.

"Line 'em up, put 'em down!" Barricade suddenly returned to alt-form and unleashed a barrage of bullets that cut down two Autobots; their names had been Revo and Lightdrive. He proceeded to drive into the Autobots, knocking over the injured Trax and leapt at Dino, who tried to fight back. The other Autobots had their weapons ready once again, only after Barricade had almost ripped Dino apart.

A rocket fired from Ironhide had hit Barricade square in the chest which knocked him off his victim and sent him staggering backwards with Energon spilling out of the hole. Optimus Prime knew that any shot like that was always fatal… but was surprised to see Barricade return to alt-mode, redlining away with a trail of Energon following in his wake.

"That is one tough Decepticon," Jazz noted as he watched the injured Decepticon drive off, "Should we hunt 'im down an' finish 'im off, once an' fer all, Prime?"

"Negative Jazz," Optimus Prime replied, "We've rescued our brothers, which was why we came here in the first place. Besides, this planet is completely under Decepticon control, and with Jackpot's dying scream, I believe that that may have alerted the others of our presence. Gather our fallen comrades and return to the vessel; we're finished here."

Much to Ironhide's glee, they weren't finished as a patrol of Decepticons came of the forest and began to attack the intruders. Ironhide barreled over two Decepticons, blasting off one of their heads with a rocket launcher, before being felled by a barrage of missiles from the sky.

"Trying to rescue your precious friends, Autobots? How pathetic!" Starscream assumed protoform, firing a barrage of blasts from his lethal Null Ray that killed an Autobot who had been named Sektor, "You are no match for the speed and power of Starscream!"

"Why do all the Decepticons have an ego problem?" Jazz asked as he watched a now-repaired Barricade returned to the battle and transformed, "Oh, he's back."

A fierce battle broke out and Trax and Ricochet were killed when the Hound of Megatron joined the skirmish and obliterated them with a blast from his Energy Wave cannons. Fastlane and Tripwire were killed by Starscream with relative ease, and Barricade killed Jumpshot. Several Decepticons were killed in the battle too, from very skilled shots from Jazz and Optimus Prime.

"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus Prime ordered as another Autobot was slaughtered by the fearsome and speedy Barricade; this one was named Boxcars.

Supporting the badly damaged Ironhide, Hot Shot watched as the Decepticons began to pursue them. He knew that he and the others would not survive unless they did something. Letting Optimus and Jazz bring Ironhide back, the rookie Autobot fired several shots from his Theta-Class automatic rotating Wind blasters into the trees which created a temporary blockade. The first Decepticons who jumped over it were killed in the crossfire from his blasters and after he saw his Autobot friends aboard the landing vessel, he fired a couple more shots at another Decepticon who began to climb over the blockade. Then he made a run for the vessel as shots whizzed past his head and just as he was about to jump into the airborne spacecraft, Barricade caught up and jammed his dagger into Hot Shot's back. Optimus Prime caught his hand though and hauled up the Autobot… and the Decepticon. Swiftly he gave Barricade a powerful punch in the face which caused him to lose gripping and fall off. Dino then aided him with pulling the rookie onto the vessel.

Glaring up at the Autobots, Barricade shout profanities and curses at the Autobots as they entered Seeker airspace in which they were swooped upon by Starscream who came to assist his comrades.

"Let… me deal wit… 'im!" a damaged Ironhide readied his rocket launcher and hit Starscream in the chest after he had transformed, "Punkass Decepticon!"

Unable to sustain flight, the Air Commander fell to the surface, still firing shots at the vessel but instead of crashing, he was caught by Blackout. Once the Seekers saw their commander fall from the large shot to the chest, they retreated back to their Seeker base… and from there it was smooth sailing for Optimus Prime and his crew.

Two millicycles later, the landing vessel docked inside the prisoner transport and the battle-weary soldiers exited the ship.

"We had huge losses down there," Jazz said, "We ventured down with a crew o' eight, joined up with Dino's group o' a dozen soldiers, an' lost eleven with more than half of our crew injured."

"Blaster, see to it that this information is recorded in the ship's log and also on written document." Optimus Prime noted, "Location is Rystolth, and we encountered heavy resistance from Seekers and Decepticon patrols, including Barricade, Blackout, and Starscream."

"Yes sir, Optimus Prime, sir!" the Autobot immediately began his task, "I'll get it done faster than a cat can clean its fur."

Ignoring the rhyming Autobot, Optimus Prime walked over to Jazz who was drinking some Energon to replenish all the energy he had lost. Before he could ask, he was given one by a spunky femme named Override.

"Much better!" Jazz exclaimed happily.

"We're running low on Energon, my friend." Optimus finished his too, "I think the Decepticons are too. Those that we killed… they died as if they had no power at all."

"All o' us are hurtin' from this depletion, Prime," the second-in-command replied, "There's gonna come a time in which there won't be any left."

"Forlornly there is no trace of a source of Energon on any of the planets we've visited."

His friend was starting to agree with him when he brightened up, "Hey Optimus, do ya remember that time when ya told meh about when ya got lost on another world alone?"

"Yes, it was at first very frightening but then it became a marvellous experience… what are you hinting at, Jazz?"

"Well, ya said that the planet actually produced Energon naturally…"

"Jazz, no one knows where that planet is. You've erased all memory of it from all documents, the team that rescued me are all deceased, and I don't even know its coordinates or even the name. However I must admit that I wish I did… it would be our salvation and we won't perish."

"Prime, what if the Decepticons already know of the planet?"

"If they did, this war would already be over and we would have lost." Optimus Prime thought hard and remembered a few things about the planet, "The planet's name is WereKespair… and it is hidden from both us and the Decepticons. I'm not really sure about it but I do believe it produces Energon naturally. And there are some things about the planet… Seduri and Krystal…"

"Who are they?"

"Um… no one… just…" Optimus Prime walked away, remembering things…

Iacon, Cybertron; 5000 Stellar-Spans Ago…

"Optimus, come here." Beta called.

A little Sparkling ran over to her and jumped onto her leg, "You called, Mama?"

"Don't call me that, Optimus. You should know by now that I am not your mother."

"Sowwy…" Optimus looked at the ground.

"Hmm, your vocal processor has not improved yet, "You should be able to speak fluently by now."

Beta sighed as she bent over and lifted the little Sparkling up into her arms. Optimus was the youngest of all the Sparklings that had emerged from the Well of AllSparks, and the most different. Most of the others had already mastered the skills that are essential to apply in their everyday lives when they mature into mechs and femmes. Yet this little Sparkling was slower than the others to learn and even communicate properly. Not only that but he was the smallest; even Smallfoot was taller than him.

While other femmes did other jobs, Beta was in charge of caring for and teaching the Sparklings that would emerge from the Well of AllSparks. This was her task which she had been doing for the past few millenniums and she came to really enjoy her job. The only thing she did not like about her job was protecting the little ones from the fearsome Phantoka which would suddenly appear and kidnap all who would accidentally stray a little too far from their caretakers. These poor Sparklings eventually were raised to become engineers, miners, and possibly gladiators on the other side of Cybertron. Thankfully the foul creatures had not returned for some time.

And in her entire career, she had never seen such a deficient Sparkling like Optimus before. Everything was too hard for him to do and he was rather weak… she wondered if he would even survive to mature to a mech. The only interesting feature about him was a strange marking on his faceplate that she could not read… it seemed not any other Cybertronian could read it, for that matter. Oh, and Optimus was very mischievous and curious; everything fascinated him. Once Beta found him in the military complex of Iacon observing the soldiers training session.

"Am I diffewent?" Optimus asked.

The only answer he got was he was put back on the ground and Beta walked off to get another Sparkling who was being a little too curious. Her mistake: she left Optimus unattended.

Without care, the little Sparkling spied an open passageway in another building across the street and ran over to it. It was the Iacon Research and Science Centre in which the finest of scientists and engineers experiment the highest-level projects there. No matter what he was told, Optimus ventured into the building and quickly came to a room with a large glowing disc in the middle of it. All the scientists present were studying it and running diagnostics. It was a portal and the Cybertronians were testing the theories of travelling through portals and whether or not it was safe. Unfortunately, the little Sparkling got a little too curious and ended up tripping on a wire and fell into the portal!

"AHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed as he plummeted into the darkness of Time and Space…

Tranquility Airspace; Current Time…

"Optimus!" Jazz yelled, "Tranquility to Optimus Prime!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" the Autobot leader was breathing heavily. It felt like he actually was falling for a moment there, before he put the blame on Jazz by glaring at his subordinate.

"Heh heh. Welcome back to reality. We've entered the atmosphere of Tranquility."

"Oh, very good, Commander. Get this vessel on the ground, the wounded to the medical bay, and the refugees to Customs."

"Yes sir!"

Rubbing his forehead with both palms, Optimus Prime stared at the roof of the prisoner transport, wondering how those memories could be repeating in his mind, especially since they were "childhood" memories as the inhabitants of Tranquility would say. As his processor cleared, the vessel had landed on the ground. Without wasting a second more, the Autobot leader walked off the spaceship and assumed alt-mode, driving onto the highway. He needed wisdom… and that wisdom would be found with the aged planetary leader of Tranquility, Hablano Primzahl.

"Great Hablano Primzahl," Optimus Prime humbled himself when he arrived in the chamber, "I need your wisdom to some… complex issues I am having."

"Please don't bow to me. Save that for a greater King. And I am not great; I am just as humble to serve Him as you are," The golden dragon retorted harshly before softening quickly, "Speak your mind, child."

"Pardon me?"

Hablano Primzahl chuckled, his brilliant emerald eyes gleaming with joy, "You are a child compared to me, Optimus Prime. I've been around since the establishment of the Universe itself. And I wish you to speak freely."

"I have been having a processor malfunction. Certain past events are repeating in it and it feels terribly realistic… why would this be happening?"

"Oh, my dear Optimus Prime, everyone experiences flashbacks of the past. Just because you are made of metal and alloys, does not entirely state that we are completely different. We both have a heart, in your case a Spark; a mind, that your race has come to call a processor; and a soul. No race is subject to anything different than the other. In other words, each race can experience what the other does."

"I do not understand…"

Extending a comforting wing, Hablano Primzahl walked over to Optimus, and wrapped the wing around the confused Cybertronian, "I shall explain. Not being able to understand a concept is the same as another race would say being confused. What you believe is a 'malfunction' is merely a vision of the past in the views of my race. Some visions can be realistic, in which it feels like you experience the same events again, and some can be merely pictures moving in your mind. Some races call this 'photographic memory' in which one can recall memories and literally see them playing in their mind. Your race has this programmed into them already so it is not much of a special talent amongst others. Are you seeing a clearer picture of what I am trying to convey to you?"

"I somewhat understand," Optimus Prime looked up at him, "I am interested in knowing whether you have experienced 'confusion'?"

"No. I have and will never experience this, myself, but I tell you that many members of my race have experienced confusion." Hablano Primzahl sighed, "Confusion is against what I believe. If the Maker is understanding and never uncertain, then why should we be?"

"Point taken, but some concepts are hard to grasp…"

"Ha! You hardly are aware of the mind-boggling mysteries of the Universe! Try computing this one: eternal life."

"Living forever? Is that even possible…?"

"All things are possible through He who gives you strength."

"But all are subject to death…"

"Subject to does not mean 'entitled' to,"

"So winning this war is possible?"

"War is a matter of perspective. Some think that good always triumphs over evil. In spiritual reasons, this is a very true fact, but amongst the physical, sometimes evil wins and there are times in which these conflicts end in a stalemate. But I tell you truthfully that if you submit to the Maker, victory will be in your grasp sooner than you anticipate."

"I believe we both have different creators. Ours is called Primus…"

"Prixmus? Inconceivable! He does not create… he only brings Destruction."

"No… Primus created the Cybertronian race. How do you spell the one you are talking about?"

"P-r-i-x-m-u-s,"

Optimus Prime looked at the golden dragon, "We are talking about two different beings."

"Well, your scholars must have blinded you from the real Maker. The One whom I serve has a myriad of names… but I come to call Him 'Yahwey'. As for Prixmus, be wary of this foe; he is the enemy to my Maker and all His Creation." Hablano Primzahl returned to where he was previously, and returned to the previous subject, "Do not worry about natural encounters of the mind, Optimus Prime. You will have to be able to discern for yourself whether it is natural or an attack."

"Attack? What do you mean?"

"The Deceiver loves to play with the mind and infuse his lies, hatred, and tricks into it. Be not one of the many who are deceived by these lies and blinded from the truth, but rather one who repels such attacks with a strong will. Your main challenge will be overcoming all the lies that you have known since you have emerged from the Well of AllSparks."

"Thank you for your insight, Hablano Primzahl sir."

"My wisdom goes out to all generations. Do not forget that."

Optimus Prime nodded and left after snapping a respectful salute with the wise dragon adding a warning.

"Beware, for he comes like a thief in the night only to destroy…"


	6. Chapter 5 Escalation

Chapter 5 Escalation

Brilliant light lit up the skies of Dastrylk as soon as Sixshot had descended upon the planet; his engines were intensely bright to the inhabitants. Assuming protoform, the Decepticon super soldier fell upon the ground with such force that the ground trembled. Without warning, his Sonic Barrage pistols emerged from his hands and he started disintegrating the cities with lethal streams of energy. At once the planetary military was scrambled to defend their world and began to counterattack. No matter how much resistance they used against him, Sixshot shrugged off every attack and eradicated the entire military and all others who challenged him. He reverted back into his Cybertronian assault jet alt-mode and strafed a number of cities with powerful energy blasts, several which were leveled.

Sixshot was extremely dexterous, having obliterated the other two planets already, and slaughtered the fearsome Reapers with relative ease. Gliding close to the ground, he adopted a second alt-mode, this one being a Cybertronian main battle tank. The tank mode was also dual-barreled and deadly blasts of energy obliterated an entire mountain, the rubble and debris crushing a city underneath its weight. As he continued his destructive streak, he indulged in the destruction, the chaos, the screams, and the panic. And the more he indulged, the more he became one with the destruction.

A few more blasts of energy levelled another mountain and lava poured out of it, which made the super soldier conclude that it was a volcano. From tank mode he assumed a third alt-mode of an armoured car mounted with huge plasma cannons on the top. With this third alt-mode, he annihilated a number of smaller villages to the south of the volcano, and triggered a few other volcanoes in the area. From there, he obtained a fourth alt-mode, a laser gun, and blew apart several mass-populated cities with a single shot to each city. Other defenders came out to stop him and he blew them into oblivion.

By the time he reverted back to protoform, half the planet was already destroyed. Dastrylk was indeed a huge planet, much larger than Cybertron. Sixshot determined that it would take a little more than a cycle to finish off the remainder of the planet. Noticing several hundred inhabitants that looked like pigs, he ultimately transformed into yet a fifth alt-mode of a winged wolf, and ripped them to shreds with his powerful claws. Much blood poured away from his dead victims and it covered his entire chassis. None had entered his mouth, since it was shielded by a mouthplate that had been made to withstand the force of a supernova.

The Decepticon super soldier transformed back into his assault jet alt-mode and barraged the remainder of the planet with powerful blasts of energy and missiles. To be sure that the planet and all its citizens were deceased, he went into his armoured vehicle form once more, obliterating every structure and detonating every volcano around the planet. Satisfied with the devastation, Sixshot halted on top of a mountain that peeked above the others and crossed his arms.

_Too easy_, he thought as he surveyed all the destruction. While he marveled at his art, his sensitive audio receptors detected the vaguely familiar sound of rocket engines. Not even having to look, he fired a shot from one of his Sonic Barrage pistols and shot down the escapee vessel, _I just point, shoot, and down they go._

"Sixshot to Megatron,"

"Megatron here. Report."

"All three planets obliterated. Minimal resistance encountered."

Megatron at first was speechless but then he replied, "Excellent work, Sixshot. Report back to Rystolth at once. Megatron out."

"Affirmative." Sixshot was about to transform then his energy detectors began to detect a vast source of energy at a far distance. Energon? No, it couldn't be. The signal he was receiving was far too strong to be that of any source of Energon variety. Still, the super soldier recorded it into his memory banks to present it to Megatron…

Decepticon Headquarters, Rystolth…

"Soundwave reporting, Lord Megatron…" the spymaster Decepticon walked over to his Master.

"Report, Soundwave."

"Sensors have detected a vast source of energy…"

"Energon?" Megatron leaned forward, intrigued by Soundwave's report.

"Negative. The signal is far too strong."

"Well what do you believe it is to be?"

"A new source of power, Mightiness. I have calculated the magnitude of the source and it is the equivalent of a supernova without the actual event occurring."

"Power? I MUST HAVE IT! Where is it located?"

"In a non-existent part of the Universe… sir."

"What do you mean 'non-existent', Soundwave? If the source can be detected, it can be located."

"No. All data surrounding that area is non-existent, therefore in theory, there is no location."

Shockwave was present in the command centre at the time and turned his head over, "Illogical. There must always be a position if there is a source."

"Either that or I am unable to pinpoint this location." The Communications Officer shrugged.

"Well, perhaps you'd be able to process information faster if you delete much of the junk stored in that over-filled processor of yours."

"I've deleted all emotions that affect me; there is nothing left to hinder my information's processing."

Megatron began to broaden the options, "There has to be a solution to this problem. If such power does exist, which naturally does, it must have a location… coordinates of some kind."

"I propose that it is floating aimlessly in space," the maddened scientist argued.

"No coordinates… no location… my database contains nothing regarding the place." Soundwave glanced up at the ceiling, pondering the strange concept, "Suggestion: all data regarding such a place was erased from every document existent on Cybertron."

"But why would someone delete all information regarding one specific location?"

"Because they don't want it to be discovered, Shockwave." The Decepticon leader relaxed in his throne-like seat, "Something is out there that is desired not to be found… and I WANT to find it."

A deep silence fell over all the Decepticons present in the room.

"Oh great. More travelling…" Ransack growled.

"To a non-existence part of space? Are you out of your circuits?" Sideswipe enquired sharply.

Soundwave looked over at his leader, "I just detected this source of energy; if it were already in existence I would have detected it long ago."

"Soundwave's right, Megatron," Shockwave agreed, "This energy source must have been created very recently… but by what?"

"So many questions with so little time." Megatron stood up, and turned to Brawl, "Get a fleet ready. I want to be the first at that location before any Autobot!"

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Brawl motioned for Killstreak to follow him.

The entire room was silent as the Decepticons awaited further orders from their leader. It was probable to assume that he was formulating a plan in his processor.

"Soundwave, do have an estimate location?"

"I would state that it is perhaps 1 000 000 000 parcycles from Cybertron which is 500 000 000 parcycles from Tranquility which in turn is 800 000 000 parcycles from us."

"2.3 billion parcycles… perhaps farther? And this source of energy can be detected from out here?"

With a quick nod, Soundwave dimmed the lighting in the room and projected a map of the Universe that was currently known to them. Other Decepticon officers gathered around it and got ready to voice their own opinion about the energy source and its mysterious location. Barricade requested Soundwave to project names of all the galaxies and the important planets within them.

"We are here on Rystolth in the Dystros Region of Galaxy Nexus II." Soundwave began, "Here in the Colossus Galaxy is located Tranquility the Autobots headquarters. Cybertron is here is the Polaris Galaxy and the source of energy is way out here…" Soundwave stepped out of the map towards the farthest point of the room, "…I would assume."

"No one has ever ventured beyond the Gridder Mark before," Barricade stated, pointing at the galaxy closest to where Soundwave was standing, "We don't even know if it is empty space or another universe entirely! Journeying to such a place can potentially be very dangerous, my lord."

The doors opened and a victorious Sixshot entered the room. A few Deceptions gawked at seeing their super soldier so unexpectedly soon; they assumed it would take at least several solar-cycles to complete his destructive task. Megatron welcomed him back and requested for him to stand next to him.

"I understand that before you became who you now are, you were once an engineer in the Smelting District of the Wasyt Galaxy. Is this correct, Sixshot?"

Sixshot thought about it for a moment, "Yes."

"Have you ever travelled past the Gridder Mark which is about 50 000 parcycles from your former place of operations?"

"Once or twice."

Now every Decepticon present in the room had gathered around the holographic map, quite interested in the conversation.

"What's past the Gridder Mark, Sixshot?" Sideswipe asked, "I've heard stories that it is the domain of Primus…"

"No. More stars and galaxies and planets lie past it. Why is it relevant to discuss the Universe, Master?"

Banging his fist like a gavel to maintain control over the raucous Decepticons, Megatron went on to explain the predicament that had aroused, regarding the energy source. While listening, Sixshot's right optic widened a little, knowing what energy source they were discussing; he had detected it when he was on what was left of Dastrylk.

"I detected the same energy source when I was on Dastrylk, and I'm certain that its location was not always unknown to us; the exact location may be undetermined but the general area is known as the Sursanic System, if I remember correctly."

"Do you have coordinates to this system, Sixshot?"

"Of course."

The Decepticon super soldier transmitted the coordinates to Soundwave who then projected it with the holographic map; every Decepticon realized that it would be farther than Soundwave first predicted.

"Well, this will be one long flight," Barricade snarled in his usual sarcastic way.

Starscream entered the room with several of his Seekers: Thundercracker, Skywarp, Genesis, Jetfire, and Airwave; all battle-hardened from fighting fleeing escapee vessels.

"My Master," the Air Commander bowed before his leader respectfully, "Apologies for my tardiness."

"Wut be goin' on here, eh?" Thundercracker enquired.

"Silence!" Megatron snorted, "We're having a discussion regarding a new source of power that had been detected quite recently."

"I have something worthy to report," Starscream smirked, "The Autobot's main field medic, Ratchet, has been confirmed to be MIA. Now is the perfect time to strike against the Autobots!"

The Decepticon leader raised an optic, "Missing in action, you say?"

"Affirmative. Jetfire intercepted an Autobot transmission and it claims that Ratchet, who was travelling without any company, went missing after it ventured past the Gridder Mark, several solar decacycles ago. It is fair to assume that he has now been rendered 'non-functional'."

Although Jetfire was smiling at the credit he received, the only praise he received from Soundwave was a sharp glare. Apparently the Communications Officer preferred to be the only one to be intercepting transmissions from any enemy position.

"That area will be flooded with Autobots searching for their fellow mech," Megatron growled, "Quick Decepticons, board the warships. We shall depart immediately! Set your courses for the Sursanic System. Blackout, prepare your men. All who had accompanied me to Rystolth will go… except for you, Turmoil… I need you to be certain that this planet remains under Decepticon control. You may handpick a militia to assist you, but none who will be travelling."

"Master, may I accompany you on this mission?" Sideswipe enquired, "It has always been my desire to see what is beyond the Gridder Mark."

"Very well then, Sideswipe. You may join us. Killstreak, you'll come too."

Both Sideswipe and Killstreak saluted and moved to the battlecruiser that Starscream and his soldiers had arrived on. Its name was _Nemesis_ and a second battlecruiser that had been captured was named _Dreadnought_. The _Nemesis_ itself was Megatron's personal warship and the flagship of the Decepticon fleet. Second to it was the _Dreadnought_ which had been modified to serve as a secondary flagship and decoy for its counterpart.

Megatron, Starscream, Blackout, Soundwave, Shockwave, Brawl, Barricade, and Grindor all boarded the _Nemesis_ while the other Decepticon officers boarded the latter. Several other smaller warships known as destroyers: _Revenge_, _Crucible_, _Invincible_, and _Havoc_; were crewed and began to depart. With the _Nemesis_ in the lead, the other warships followed close behind. The hunt for the mysterious system has begun.

"Soundwave, contact Oracle on Lo Kiepo."

"As you command, Lord Megatron." The Communications Officer did exactly what he was ordered to.

"Oracle, this is Megatron."

A holographic image of a female Cybertronian Seeker appeared on the large communications screen, "Oracle reporting, my lord."

"I want you to rendezvous with me at the Ostarice System with your destroyer _Bloodhand_ and all other warships under your command."

"It shall be done, my lord."

"Be there no later than several decacycles from now. Megatron, out."

The screen flickered to black until Megatron told his trusted lieutenant to also contact the Decepticon-occupied planet of Tyrannus.

"Silverdo, this is Megatron. Do you read me?"

Once more the screen flickered to life, "That's Silverdo _Prime_, Megatron. Yes, I'm receiving your message. What can I do for you?"

"Rendezvous at the Ostarice System with _Trypticon_ and whatever warships are within your sector. We're going beyond the Gridder Mark and I want you to accompany me."

"I shall. Would you like me to bring the Battle Maximus team as well?"

"Do not hesitate to do so, Silverdo Prime. I look forward to meeting with you in person once more."

"Likewise, Master."

"Excellent. Megatron, out."

Silence had filled the command centre of the _Nemesis_ as soon as Megatron had finished with his couple of transmissions. The only noises breaking the silence were the miniscule reverbs of ship diagnostics and control surfaces that echoed off the walls ever so lightly. Most Decepticons aboard were well-aware that when you were to serve Megatron on an utterly important mission, it was prudent to remain silent. No one seemed to mind the silence; they preferred it since it was easier to work in.

Seated in an observatory position near the co-pilot, Sideswipe was busy writing a personal log on a datapad, recording all the day's events. He felt a little guilty for his sudden change of affiliation and the slaughter of his own soldiers; but Energon was scarce amongst the Autobot ranks and it appeared that the Decepticons were abundant with the vital liquid. He included these thoughts in it, and also began inscribing what he thought resided on the other side of the Gridder Mark. New worlds, new species, new composite materials… he was rather scientific than a soldier.

On his left, a Decepticon named Thunderbolt was in the co-pilot seat, assisting the pilot in whatever way he could. Next to him was Barricade, the pilot who was charting a route-of-best-course. Stockade sat in the navigator's seat on his left, giving Barricade suggestions for a route to take. Behind the pilot was Brawl who was overseeing the weapons and defence systems of the _Nemesis_ along with the shield diagnostics. Next to him was Shockwave who maintained control over the core processing components of the battlecruiser and observed the energy levels of the ship's core. Grindor sat behind him opposite of Killstreak who was assisting Brawl, and he analyzed all the other parts of the vessel that did not concern the maddened scientist. In the middle of the two was Soundwave who controlled the flow of information and commanded all communications within a fifteen thousand cycle range.

Elevated a little from the rest was Blackout who sat on the right side of the ship. He was in a sense the Executive Officer of the _Nemesis_ and oversaw all the ongoing operations on the bridge. Across from him was Starscream in the 2IC seat, while compiling a log and maintaining overall control over the armada. And lastly in the middle of the two and elevated higher than the rest was Megatron who broke the silence and started to bark out orders at the Decepticons.

"Full speed ahead, Barricade." Megatron ordered, "First re-direct course to the Ostarice System."

"Yes, Lord Megatron."

"Stockade, change navigation charts to the Fyrall Sector."

The ship veered left by thirty two degrees so it maintained a track towards the indicated system.

"Starscream, inform the fleet of the changes to our course."

"At once, Mightiness!"

"Soundwave, where is Sixshot?"

"Troop bay, sir." Soundwave replied.

"Notify him that his presence has been requested at the bridge."

"Affirmative."

Megatron nodded his head and smirked. The power would soon be his and he would be ultimately unstoppable and the Autobots' destruction would be assured.

"Megatron, I am detecting a stronger signal of the power than before. Magnitude has altered to that of a large-scale supernova. This may be dangerous to trifle with, Master…"

"I DON'T CARE about the logic behind it, Soundwave! IT WILL BE MINE!"

Sighing a bit, Soundwave began to trace the source of power and began to calculate its actual intensity. He nearly jumped out of his seat at the results; whatever it was, it could decimate an entire planet if it ever reached a shock wave form…


	7. Chapter 6 Highlight: RATCHET

Chapter 6 Highlight: RATCHET

_Where am I?_ _What happened anyways?_

Standing up slowly with Energon spilling out of a few minor injuries, the Autobot medical officer observed the wrecked shuttle that had crashed from entering an asteroid field. Fire burned at the oxidizing metals and the fuel of the ship flowed in tiny streams away from the wreckage. A gentle column of smoke rose from the impact site, visible for a couple of miles.

"Dear Primus," Ratchet growled as he viewed the landscape, "What is this place?"

Lush trees rose all around the wreckage that had crashed into a clearing in what appeared to be a forest. Vast mountains towered above the forest canopies, and they were topped by breathtaking snow-caps; Ratchet had never seen a planet much like this one. Not even Tranquility could be compared to this place for it has huge advancements in technology; the Autobot could not even see a trace of civilization. If he were on Tranquility, he would see the tall towers that had been established by the dragons who inhabited it. But there were none.

"Ratchet to Optimus Prime," he spoke into his comlink.

He received no answer.

"Optimus Prime, do you read me?"

After waiting a few millicycles, he assumed that he was far out of range for any of his fellow Autobots to hear his transmissions. It did not matter that much at the moment; what mattered was that he could still function up to optimal standard. Quickly he performed a scan over his chassis to determine whether or not he would require medical attention once he would get back to base. Several circuits were damaged beyond repair; he would have to get them replaced once his friends rescue him. The most important system a Cybertronian contains within its body, the transformation scanner was also rather damaged as far as it appeared to him.

Trying to transform was quite difficult now. His transformation scanner's alt-mode had been deleted as a result from the injury. He would have to assume another alt-mode… but nothing on this planet seemed to be mechanical in any way.

_I'll need to blend in with this environment_, he thought as he limped away from the ship's wreckage.

A clear river meandered into his path after he dragged himself approximately a mile from all evidence of the crash with the planet. Sighting it, he sat down and let his bleeding right leg dangle in the cool flow. At first he wondered whether this would cause his leg to rust, but then that possible threat did not bother him, as it felt like the cool liquid was repairing his leg. What? Ratchet glanced down at his leg that had stopped bleeding and hauled it out. Was this liquid… Energon?

Pondering it for a while, Ratchet decided the only way to really be certain was to run one simple test on: drink it. Lowering himself near it, he scooped some up with his hand and drank it. At once he felt his energy levels being replenished.

"By the All Spark!" he exclaimed, "IT IS ENERGON!"

Due to the demand of Energon to continue the war, the vital necessity to the Cybertronians was greatly depleted since the Decepticons would steal it from the Autobot bases they conquered. It had been more than a few stellar-spans since Ratchet had tasted that precious liquid; it was refreshing. But how could it be Energon? Only Cybertron had been capable of making it… unless this planet was to be their new homeworld: a new place to call home.

No. Shaking his head, the Autobot medical officer immediately labeled such thoughts as "Decepticon" nature and discarded them. This planet must belong to another race; to prefer a solution of invasion rather than a solution of science would be foolish. If the sphere was uninhabited, then establishing it as their new home would be acceptable.

Decepticon… what did that mean? Was it a group of evil Cybertronians who want dominant control of the cosmos? Or was it a term to describe someone who deceives? What if was a state of mind? Most of the Autobots nowadays could be considered "Decepticons" for the way they behave. Corruption was spreading through their ranks; Ratchet felt that Optimus Prime was unaware of this… he had other matters to attend to. Rystolth once was a planet ruled by non-Cybertronians until Dropshot and his crew had invaded and killed all the species amongst it. Many Autobots could be subject to converting quickly to Megatron's forces or be susceptible of treason.

That was why he ventured past the Gridder Mark in the first place. He felt that the war was consuming all that was good and pure in the Universe and therefore he decided to journey to a place far away from the violence to allow himself to process clearly and to escape the devastation. While he was travelling, his vessel came upon a non-detected asteroid field which damaged it and sent it hurtling down to this strange planet…

When the war started, Ratchet was compelled to join the Autobots to escape the inevitable destruction of all "peace-mongers"- that was his classification in the Decepticons' views. Although he had never wanted a civil outbreak, there was nothing he could do… war consumed the planet fifty meta-cycles later and all Neutrals were forced to affiliate with a faction. Originally, he did consider joining the limitless Decepticon ranks but after the sheer mayhem and destruction associated with their plans came into the limelight, Ratchet hurried to the Autobots where he could perhaps function as a medical officer.

Before the war even began to creep into the lives of the once-peaceful Cybertronians, Ratchet was nothing more than a veterinarian; pets from all across the cosmos were popular amongst the high-class and therefore special attention was needed to care for them. Despite being a lowly veterinarian, he had made a legacy as being the highest-skilled amongst his caste… he had impressed wiser and more experienced members of his caste and was given the title of "Chief Vet" or simply "Doc". A passion to care for animals, inspired by the first sight of a Dogba- a Cybertronian canine-like species native to the Sonic Canyons- Ratchet had read everything there is to know about an "animalic" creature.

Praised amongst the colonies of the Sonic Canyons, Ratchet received a pet Dogba which he respectively named "Fang" from a fellow client who had learned of his adoration for the species. They were almost inseparable- even when the veterinarian moved to Iacon for a higher position in his caste, Fang went with him. Alas, a few deca-stellar spans later, the war came to his new home and when they tried to escape, Dogba was killed by a fast-moving automobile of Autobot allegiance. Poor Ratchet was heartbroken and that's when he felt it was time to seek a faction to serve. At a time, there was a third faction- the Brotherhood of Cybertron- and it consisted of Cybertronians who wished to remain neutral to the war and sought peace; he had affiliated himself with this faction previously. Ultimately after the Brotherhood was disbanded, after weighing the pros and cons of both sides, Ratchet joined Optimus Prime and his peace-seeking Autobots.

_Neither side should know of this planet's existence, _Ratchet decided, _Autobots process like Decepticons do; if either faction discovers this planet… it would be destroyed._

A scream filled the forest and alerted Ratchet. Immediately Ratchet had dashed over to the location of the cry and was shocked at the sight that was before him…

Two large griffin-like birds were attacking what appeared to be a village of intelligent creatures that resembled wolves but with a different natural colour: blue. Blue-furred wolves? This was quite interesting… forget that for a cycle! They were in danger and he had to help them!

Not caring on how much attention he drew to himself, Ratchet leapt out of the forest and landed on one of the impossibly-large griffins' back. Transforming his hand into a small stiletto, he jabbed it into the bird's neck, spilling lots of blood. One down, one to go. Jumping off the dead griffin, he combat-rolled into the other that was attacking pups. The final griffin was shot in the head by his Sigma-class blaster.

The only gratitude he received was petrified and shocked faces from all of the wolves that were present. Not wanting to frighten them even more, Ratchet transformed his hand back to normal and took a step back, in an attempt to show that he was not hostile.

"Greetings… my deepest apologies if I have frightened you."

For a couple of millicycles, the wolves remained silent until one spoke up, "W…what are you?"

Ratchet realized there was nothing he could attempt to escape them so he answered the wolf's question in the way he had been taught, "I am a peace-seeking autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron. In simpler terms, I am a Cybertronian. My name is Ratchet and I function primarily as a medical officer."

"But you have those deadly utensils…"

"My weapons are for self-defence purposes and defending others only." He went on, "Far from your planet, a war is raging across the Universe, threatening to destroy it completely; I confess that I am one of the belligerents, an Autobot. We fight the oppression of the malevolent Decepticons who dream of conquering the cosmos…"

"We wish for no such war to befall our world, thank you. Please return to wherever you came from and forget that you have ever set sight on this planet."

The medical officer sighed, as he remembered the famous proverb "Some things are best left unsaid." It was far too late to try to take back what had been said.

"I'm afraid that I cannot comply with your wishes, Wolf. My vessel has been damaged beyond repair and I have no other means of extraction. But I assure you that I am the only one here... well… at the current cycle that is."

"You cannot stay here," the wolf was obviously of a high authority bearing; the way he talked to the medic was no different than ordering a servant around, "We don't need a war with other races coming upon WereKespair. Our world has its own tribulations to attend to."

Ratchet hesitated. He knew that there would be no way to get off the planet and it seemed that this authoritative wolf would not allow him to remain, unless… "If I were able to assimilate into your world, would your permit me to dwell here?"

"Assimilate? What can you do to assimilate?"

The Cybertronian medic had never attempted to take on a non-metallic alt-mode before, but it was worth trying, if it would give him permission to stay. He scanned one of the wolves and transformed into a wolf but more of his style: he was a yellow and green wolf with crystal blue eyes and a few tufts of red and grey here and there. Each wolf now was no longer terrified, but rather marveled and awestruck of the transformation.

"I am extremely useful, my good sir." Ratchet went on, "You see, I am a medical officer. That means that I excel in the fields of medicine and…"

"You mean you are, in a way, a Healer?" The wolf enquired.

"Precisely."

Pondering this for a moment, the wolf sighed as he weighed the pros and cons of this possibility within his mind. Would it be fine to harbour a creature of another planet to serve as a medic for his own use? How would other wolves react to an acceptance of this? What would his followers think of him if he just decided to cast out the medic and force him to return to his own planet? No, cruelty would never be a good option and it would be plain inwolfane. Reaver was not one to behave in such a heartless manner, though he had been cruel in the past but age and time changed him. Perhaps age and time will change this strange outworlder too.

Finally he replied after a period of silence, "We'll permit you to reside on our world if you promise two things. First: you must never revert to that larger, more frightening form when you around other wolves; you may when you're far from civilization. Second: you must serve as the Royal Healer, and you will do everything I command you to and answer only to me. Do you understand, Ratchet?"

"Perfectly. I've always had commands given to me since I first began to function; I will serve you loyally and faithfully then, good sir."

"Please don't call me that. My name is Reaver, and I am the king of this kingdom… Arrowshore Kingdom to be exact."

King? This was a new term… other than hearing it mentioned from Megatron who wished to be "king" of the entire Universe.

"Pardon me for asking but you are in a sense the "Prime Leader", yes?" Ratchet felt stupid for asking such a question but he needed to know.

"If you put it that way…" Reaver replied.

"Very good then, Reaver Prime."

"Just "Reaver" or "King Reaver" would be fine if you please."

"My utmost apologies, sir."

"Come then, Ratchet. My mate has given birth to a young prince. I need to know whether he is healthy and strong enough to survive the extremities of the Quaa' Islands."

With a quick nod, the medical officer began to follow his new leader. Perhaps he'd leave his former faction to be on a world of peace and prosperity… no. There would come a time in which he would have to return to Optimus Prime and battle the power-hungry Decepticons once more but it was not now. At this current cycle or however long time permitted him to, he would serve the wolf king.

Despite his energy sensors being damaged, Ratchet detected a powerful source of energy that made the very strands of fur of his alt-mode stand up on end, "Reaver, you would not happen to be harboring a strong form of energy on your world, would you?"

"I don't believe so," the wolf king replied, "Why do you ask?"

"I detect a vast quantity of energy that radiates as an incredibly powerful form of energy. If I am correct in my assumption, I fear for your planet. My existence will not be of importance to the Decepticons, but a power-like energy signature will draw them here like bees to a source of nectar. Megatron lusts for power and he'll do anything he can to get a hold of it, even if it means to eradicate an entire race. I have seen it happen time and time again; it led to Cybertron's destruction."

Reaver raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning Ratchet's logic.

"I understand that I bear appalling news but you have a liquid on your planet that we call Energon. This is essential for any Cybertronian to continue to function; without it, we will die. When our world Cybertron was destroyed in the war, the only source that we had known of it was depleted greatly, and due to the shortage, both Autobots and Decepticons will do anything possible to claim it for their own. Most of the time when the Decepticons do attack, they not only slaughter all who oppose them but they steal Energon. And if by chance either side learns of this source of Energon on your planet, WereKespair will go dark."

"And you are not one of them?"

"You have nothing to fear, King Reaver. All means of communications with my Autobot colleagues and I have been rendered inefficient."

"Ratchet…" Reaver was trembling as the medic's prophecy echoed in his ears and mind, "What do you mean by 'WereKespair will go dark'?"

"I really wish I did not trouble you with my pitiful plight and my tales of doomsday, but I will tell you this: across the Universe are thousands of Autobots, and tens of thousands of Decepticons. Each side has the undeniable potential of eradicating several hundred planets over a set period of time. If both sides were to clash here at full strength with the same common purpose in mind or the same mission at hand… believe me when I tell you: 'WereKespair will go dark'."

"How long do we have?"

"Time will tell…"

Feeling ashamed of dropping the Decepticon threat on them right away, Ratchet continued to follow the king, noting his oddly-coloured fur. He had once visited the planet of Rystolth, which inhabitants were very much similar to those of WereKespair, but the wolves there had furs of what he considered to be natural colours: grey, brown, black, and white. Here they seemed to exist in exotic shades of blue… perhaps of other colours too.

After travelling for several thousand meters, he was led to what seemed to be a large palace… about the size of any average Cybertronian building. It had five stories and many sculptures of what he assumed to be iconic figures from the past that must have done great things for the planet. Beautiful blue crystals peeked out of the ground and a lovely river- of a liquid form of dihydrogen monoxide- meandered around the land. By now Ratchet was beginning to understand the language that was inscribed in many places and began deciphering them.

"This is awkward… my scanners did not detect technological advancements at all; this building and that village stands as testimony against it," he muttered under his breath, "Well, I don't see any technology advancements rather than in structural architecture, so I suppose they were not concerned with these small things."

Three large statues were erected in what appeared to be the courtyard: two were of wolves and one was of a dragon. Interesting. Ratchet was about to enquire whether they were of gods but as he viewed them, it seemed to be much different. The first was dedicated to a wolf named "Wayne the Warrior" and a short description depicted what heroic deeds he had done. A statue of a larger wolf had inscribed "Captain Seduri- Chief Protector of Arrowshore" and a short biography about him, indicating his goals and dreams that were fulfilled. And the final statue of the dragon read: "Prixmus, Ancient Protector over All WereKespair- Hail!"

As he read the name, a shudder travelled up his spine; whoever this dragon was seemed to have an evil presence lurking to his name. Now when other evil names like Megatron or the Fallen were mentioned, no chill ever befell Ratchet but this name seemed as if it foretold a dark future for the planet of WereKespair. He had wanted to warn Reaver of this discovery… yet how polite would it be for a foreigner to knock down someone else's great champion? That option was immediately discarded, although Ratchet knew in his Spark that even if no other Cybertronians found WereKespair, dark times, worse than those of Cybertron, was coming.

"I've asked you many questions, Ratchet, but it makes me curious of whether or not you have questions for me regarding my planet or my species." Reaver glanced back at the Autobot for a split second before returning his attention to his path.

"I feel they are irrelevant at this time; I would much rather see this child of yours,"

Before Ratchet could continue to utter another word, he was led into a room in which a mother wolf lay with a tiny pup, caressing it with her tongue. Never had he beheld such a precious sight or set eyes on something so small; it made his Spark become full of awe and wonder.

"Roxane, this is Ratchet," the king introduced the Autobot medic, "He is to be the Royal Healer."

The she-wolf's sparkling aqua eyes met with Ratchet's glowing blue optics and smiled, "Hello Ratchet."

"My lady," he lowered himself to the ground respectfully, "And this is the young prince?"

Both wolves nodded and Reaver lay down next to Roxane, caressing her face with his own tongue. Not wanting to frighten the little pup, the good doctor stooped even lower so he could see the little wolf pup even better. Holding up his right paw over the pup, Ratchet watched as his paw empowered a holographic scan which he waved over the baby, paying close attention to the schematics.

As he continued his work, he marvelled at the little pup. It was no bigger than a Cybertronian power core that resides in all their chests; it could fit in the palm of a Minicon's hand. A small whimper had escaped its tiny orifice; the sound reached his audio receptors and made his Spark leap for joy. Back on Cybertron when he had cared for the young Sparklings, they were all strong in appearance; this pup looked so weak and helpless in comparison. The Autobot medical officer had no idea of what sort of appearance would indicate whether it was healthy or strong… he never had to guess before, but this was different. There seemed to be no illness or disease present, nor was there any noise that affected the breathing rate or pulse rate. Sighing, Ratchet decided it was time to deliver his report.

"He's a healthy and strong pup, Reaver. How long ago was it…?"

"I birthed him about three hours ago," Roxane replied.

_Birthed?_ Ratchet couldn't believe his audio receptors, _Cybertronians emerged from the Well of All Sparks but these creatures carry their own within the female's womb. How fascinating!_

As he read over the schematics, his eyes widened and he staggered backwards, completely shocked at the results that had been presented in his schematics, "Great Primus, it cannot be…"

"Ratchet?" Reaver was curious about his strange behaviour, "What is the matter?"

"Remember when I told you about how I sensed a vast quantity of energy somewhere?"

The wolf king nodded slowly, a little confused.

"I just discovered the source… it's your son."


	8. Chapter 7 Highlight: SOUNDWAVE

Chapter 7 Highlight: SOUNDWAVE

No information. No data. Soundwave stared at the empty files in complete silence, calculating a reasonable answer in his processor; no results. Even without his emotions, his processor took time to calculate and formulate logical explanations… a small cloud of rage rose within him, but was quickly terminated. Zero results and negative answers ailed him… he hated this. Although some would say hate was an emotion, Soundwave theorized that hate was not a collective emotion… but rather a state of mind. To hate meant to despise, to despise meant to dislike… dislike did not register as an emotion and therefore was a state of mind. Once hate became one with emotion, it is known as rage or fury.

But how could there be no existing data about this "Sursanic System" that Sixshot had described? Did he just invent the term or was it a non-official designation? It seemed logical to believe that such a place did not exist… yet Sixshot was willing to eradicate all who said otherwise. Megatron demanded a full report regarding the given destination; how could he formulate one without knowledge or information surrounding the system? Soundwave pondered this for a while, generating all possible scenarios and selected the most promising. His report went as follows:

_INFORMATIVE REPORT: SURSANIC SYSTEM_

_All knowledge and data regarding this system cease to exist currently. Size and space capacity unknown. Several worlds conceivable to exist within. Probability of fifty percent that at least one planet is teeming with life forms of indefinite body structures and capabilities. Logical to assume that this system is a potentially hostile environment with undetermined matter concealed within. Recommendation: sufficient caution with safety protocols retained and applied as necessary._

Soundwave submitted the report to his leader and returned to his respective post. His sensitive audio receptors detected Megatron's fury over his report and shut it out along with every noise on the vessel. It was imperative to maintain absolute silence to be able to process clearly. Plugging into the computer, he used a certain program to view all the files and their data stored within his memory banks. Sifting through every file, every scrap of data would take time… he was well aware of this. Since he had evolved from Sparkling to mech, he had been hacking into systems, overcoming the firewalls, and downloading all the information with them. No archive was secure from his intangible grasp over information and data.

Eons ago, Soundwave had been a librarian in one of the many archives across Cybertron but unlike the other clerks who processed and filed, he analyzed and downloaded every piece of communication that passed through the communication Grid. Later he decided to hack into the archive itself and literally downloaded every scrap of data contained in the vast databanks. A fellow colleague known ironically enough as Download, reported Soundwave to the head clerk who had him expelled from the archive. Not a problem. From there, he journeyed to the other archives, worked in them, downloaded every piece of data, and was expelled from each one respectively. Each time, he learned not to trust anyone and went about as a rogue Cybertronian.

Although he had committed thousands of infractions, not one appeared on his record… he had hacked into the Cybertronian Police forces' information servers, downloaded all the data, and wiped his own file clean of infractions. In time, he soon controlled every data stream on Cybertron and in a sense, was in control over the entire planet! After spending decades of searching, the enforcers of the Codex of Praxus eventually arrested and imprisoned Soundwave within the Iacon National prisons which he served two stellar-spans in. Once word reached the military about this extraordinary mastermind hacker, they set out to recruit him and placed him as the overseer of communications.

With his new title of Communications Officer, Soundwave sought out to master another skill: espionage. Trained by the great self-designated Spymaster, he proved better and could infiltrate any meeting with little resistance encountered. Eventually he infiltrated a meeting, in which a brutal mech named Vorath planned on scrapping some helpless Minicons, and revealed himself, kicked aft, and rescued the small army of Minicons. He grew attached to the small Cybertronians and befriended them, training and re-engineering them for his own purposes, and also naming them respectively. Soon he had Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Buzzsaw, Overkill, Beastbox, Squawktalk, Slugfest, Soundbyte, and Whitefang loyal and ready to serve him. Taking some scientific courses, he soon developed a way to transport the little robots within himself whenever he pleased. Together, they infiltrated, spied, and downloaded data which now rests in his databanks.

The final skill he began to master shortly after was sonic energy. Close examination and studying led to his sheer and limitless control over its adaptable properties. Soundwave discovered methods to amplify it at will, unleash sonic waves out of his hands and shoulder-mounted cannon, manipulate its energies to generate an indestructible sonic energy field, and apply it to his vocal processor to alter it and mimic any sound he desired. Lastly, Soundwave found a way to harness the sonic energies to defy all set Laws of Physics to alter it into matter-like energy. Doing so, he was able to radiate the energy into such high temperatures it could disintegrate an opponent with nary a shot and penetrate through walls up to four hundred meters thick of Cybertanium. This incredible discovery led to his lethal creation of his dreaded Sonic Cannons.

From there on, things began to escalate drastically, with Soundwave and his army of Minicons (renamed Saboteurs) trusting no one and handling matters in their own way. Megatron joined the military and began to rise through the rank system rapidly; Blackout sided with the powerful soldier and pledged undying loyalty; Shockwave- although infinitely patient- conducted an experiment that damaged his circuitry, thus rendering him mad; Starscream found favour with and proved to be a valuable asset to Megatron; and threat of a new faction arose. Soundwave observed each event silently, watching the inevitable cloud of civil war beginning to overcast upon their peaceful homeworld. Of course Soundwave only wished to be on the winning side and if Megatron wished to rule, he would not stand in his way. So he too pledged allegiance to the new general.

"File 987 005 432 544: positive." The computer read.

Soundwave glanced at the screen and immediately accessed the file entitled: Mysteries beyond the Gridder Mark. Within it were several thousand journal entries, a couple hundred data files, and about twenty high-definition photographs and statistic graphs.

Smirking slightly, he began to view the information about the Sursanic System… it was obvious that someone had deleted such files. By now he had a location, an estimate size of the system, and much more important data regarding it. Quickly he began to generate a new report that went as follows:

_INFORMATIVE REPORT: SURSANIC SYSTEM_

_All knowledge and data regarding this system cease to exist in sufficient quantities to comprehend the full extent of the system. Size larger than the Cybertronic System and space capacity greater than several other systems. Twenty known worlds exist within; conceivable to believe others are also in existence. Probability of eighty-three percent that at least two planets are teeming with life forms of indefinite body structures and capabilities; one has been confirmed under specific identification. Logical to assume that this system is potentially hostile, mostly comprised of undetermined matter. Recommendation: sufficient caution with safety protocols retained and applied as necessary._

_SUB-INFORMATIVE REPORT: PLANET WEREKESPAIR_

_Little to nothing is currently known about the world of WereKespair but some knowledge has been gathered and accumulated to depict a possible view. Size approximately larger than Cybertron due to statistical data regarding empty gross mass; space capacity occupied by hard surface and a new pure substance classified as dihydrogen monoxide or simply water. Probable to assume that several nation-states currently are established on the planet. Data of the most up-to-date report identifies intelligent life that appears to resemble Canine lupine species inhabiting the land, and unknown marine or aquatic creatures residing in the water. Canine lupine species can be compared to those of the now-extinct life forms of Rystolth. Logical to assume that this planet is potentially hostile, as the main species are known to act out in violence. Recommendation: sufficient caution with safety protocols retained and applied as necessary._

Better. Obtained, analyzed data would serve him well. Not knowing what one would be getting oneself into, blinded one's sense of instinct and therefore neutralized all sense of judgement. This is why information and knowledge is power, Soundwave ultimately decided. Now to give Megatron the report he would not scrap him for…

Casually, he got up and walked briskly over to his infuriated leader, saluted, and awaited permission to proceed with his report.

"This is _disappointing_, Soundwave." Megatron crushed the previous report in his hand, "I _demanded_ a report and YOU generate a pitiful_ excuse_ to your _lack_ of sufficient knowledge. I hope you have good reasons for making such an unacceptable error…"

Soundwave remained silent as the Decepticon leader berated him. Despite the fact that the menacing robot in front desired to terminate his communications officer, Soundwave knew better. He was well-aware that if Megatron risked losing the war, he would do so.

"Well, what say you?"

"That report was falsely encrypted…" Soundwave replied as he gave Megatron the report, "I finally found suitable information to please you and eradicate your fury towards me. It appears that my initial hypothesis stands correct: the information has been deleted. Fortunately for your sake that I have downloaded all the archives before such information had been terminated."

"MY SAKE?"

"Affirmative. It neither concerns me negatively nor positively. In your case, Lord Megatron, you would have descended upon a planet with no knowledge about it and could have been subject to either stasis-lock or termination."

Megatron eyed his subordinate in the optic; Soundwave stood his ground. The Decepticon leader was aware that Soundwave pledged loyalty but that did not entirely mean that he trusted his Master. But he also knew that the Communications Officer was concerned and not treacherous… yet. Quietly he told himself that his soldier meant no harm… unlike some to name a few: Bludgeon, Ramjet, Banzaitron...

"Very well." Megatron clearly had relaxed, much to Soundwave's relief, "I appreciate your level of concern and your report, Soundwave."

As the Decepticon leader clasped his hand on Soundwave's shoulder, at first Soundwave was alarmed but then he too ceased the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"You are my subordinate and my friend, Soundwave… never forget that I am NOT against you."

"… I understand, my lord."

"Dismiss yourself at will."

Soundwave bowed and returned to his post once more. Further data and information regarding this planet of WereKespair seemed to identify the position of the powerful energy source to be on it. A quick scan of the energy source seemed to regulate a stronger signal; they had gotten closer.

He estimated the journey to be approximately fifteen stellar-spans if they could travel in a straight line towards the planet, but with all the matter within the cosmos, he estimated perhaps even twenty. Such a distance from Rystolth to the Ostarice System to the Gridder Mark and finally to WereKespair had never been completed before and therefore there were no logs to peek into for an ETA (estimate time of arrival). As he read over his calculations, he began to doubt if travelling such a distance was achievable when Energon was scarce.

It was utterly hopeless it seemed; the war that had consumed Cybertron in death had also destroyed the only known source of Energon in the known Universe. Nowhere in the vast outstretches of the cosmos contained the slightest source of it… the inevitable would not be eluded this time and they would all rust and die eventually…

Unless he could do something to slow down the rate of their extinction, they may have a chance against the odds of Fate. Perhaps Shockwave had a failsafe plan to ensure their survival until they would reach the planet of WereKespair. Although there were precious few Energon cubes on board the _Nemesis_, they were reserved for Lord Megatron, Starscream, and Blackout only. It had been decacycles since the spymaster had tasted the essential liquid.

But where was that maddened scientist anyways? Soundwave glanced at the empty seat where the scientist once was, a little confused by the sudden disappearance. No matter, he had to be located; besides, there was no way for him to leave the _Nemesis_… but then again, Shockwave was mad enough to do so.

Cautiously, Soundwave began to locate the one-eyed Decepticon's position until he heard Megatron's bellowing voice ordering him to find his pet mad scientist. With little to no issue, the Communications Officer had a fixed location on Shockwave's position: he was within the experimentation room.

"Shockwave located, Lord Megatron."

"Go and inform him of the report you have given me, Soundwave." The order was sharp and deliberate.

At once Soundwave left the bridge and transformed into his alt-mode- a Cybertronian communications vehicle- and drove down the length of the passageway. The _Nemesis_ was so vast that it literally took five millicycles to travel from the bridge to the experimentation room, located in the mid-section of the vessel. When he had finally arrived, Shockwave was present in the room along with the Air Commander Starscream and the two were engaged in a private conversation. Private, eh? Soundwave thought to himself and decided to eavesdrop…

"…the Sursanic System is a complex environment filled with disgusting creatures," the first voice was cold and devoid of emotion… Shockwave, "It would be prudent to infiltrate the world of WereKespair immediately, overrun it, obtain the source of power, and…"

"And how do YOU know of this system, Shockwave?" Starscream growled, "If you have known about it during that meeting, why did you choose NOT inform Lord Megatron of this knowledge you possess?"

"My reasons are that of my own. Let me just state that I HAVE been there previously… I know where it is and what the exact specifications of the system are. A simple solution of invasion with Megatron not comprehending of what he would be getting into would be all in correspondence to my plans."

"You wish to KILL Megatron?"

"I rather him NOT interfering with my non-linear plans," Shockwave retorted, "No. I do not wish to have our leader terminated but if he is blinded from all current knowledge about the planet, would result in him granting me permission to conduct my experiments without refusal."

"YOU'RE MAD!"

"Naturally. And you are a senseless idiot for also being blinded from the inevitable truth: if we don't obtain the resources of WereKespair we will ALL perish."

"Perish? What are you hinting at, Shockwave?" He was given a chart of statistics, "WereKespair is the only planet aside from Cybertron that can produce Energon naturally?"

"Precisely."

Soundwave's optics widened once he heard this. Energon? A new source produced naturally? Then they would not perish! Cybertronians would be enduring for millenniums to come!

"You are AWARE that Soundwave is most likely listening in on this and may inform Megatron, correct?" the Air Commander knew better, "And we could be 'executed' for having this kind of conversation?"

At hearing this, the Communications Officer decided to enter the room, casually, pretending not to be aware of what had been occurring.

"Greetings, fellow Decepticons." He nodded to both surprised officers.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, Soundwave?" Shockwave seemed to have engaged in an emotion: anger.

Soundwave handed Shockwave the report, "Megatron claimed that you may want to look over this… unless you were already aware of what awaits us in the Sursanic System."

The two exchanged worried glances.

"I… should report back to the bridge…" Starscream hurried out of the room, hoping that Soundwave would not expose to Megatron the conversation… after all, he DID trust no one.

Knowing the fury within Shockwave had subsided due his emotionless state of mind, the spymaster waited for the Air Commander to be gone before he continued to speak.

"I am actually _intrigued_ from the conversation you and Starscream had."

"Now you're going to report us to Megatron?" Shockwave turned away, and went to sharpening a blade to place on his left arm… obviously he knew that they had to prepare for WereKespair.

"Time will tell." Soundwave glanced at the scientist, "What is the estimate time of arrival from here to this system, Shockwave? You said YOU were there before."

"Patience is a virtue, Soundwave. Besides, in order for my plans to unfold into Megatron's in perfect harmony, all I need is time."

Wanting a better view of what Shockwave was currently doing, Laserbeak was deployed to the rafters above while the spymaster continued, "And what did you mean by 'produces Energon naturally'… I thought that it was impossible for any other planet aside from Cybertron?"

Shockwave shrugged.

A period of silence fell over the two.

"I have need of you in my plans, Soundwave. It will require deploying you immediately off the _Nemesis_ and sending you ahead of the Decepticon Fleet first. Once you arrive, you are to scout the planet, discovering further information as you can, and eliminating any wandering Autobots that may be there. Interested?"

You have need of me? Immediately Soundwave processed that this was perhaps TOO good to be true. Knowing Shockwave, it would be madness becoming a reality; in simpler terms: his insanity coming to life. He was well-aware that whenever the scientist calculated something, he seemed to always neglect to include one fundamental universal constant- chaos. But he seemed to have included the factor that Soundwave desired to fill his circuitry with information and data… where would be a better place to do so than on the planet?

"Affirmative." The Communications Officer nodded and raised his arm, beckoning Laserbeak to return.

Shockwave turned to face him, mentioned something in coded language, and then the two walked back to the bridge to report to Megatron.

"Shockwave… did you receive Soundwave's report?" Megatron's voice had a little growl to it.

"A planet such as that description could easily be captured within a single strike." The scientist smirked.

"Captured? All I _want_ is the power; the planet can be obliterated once I have obtained this."

"Very good then, sir. I have a request: I wish to use Soundwave's services for a time that will aid in the success of my experiments. There is a probability that he will NOT be available for your services for a period of time… a rough estimate of twenty stellar-spans perhaps less."

His only response was a raised optic of confusion.

"It will also benefit our operations on WereKespair… recall the triumph over Tyger Pax when you permitted Soundwave to assist my experiments and other undertakings I had for him."

"You have my acquiescence." Megatron stared Shockwave down in the optic, "If I discover that your intentions were otherwise… be prepared to face my wrath."

Observing the conversation quietly, Soundwave watched as Shockwave fed Megatron mere scraps of his plans, not once mentioning the enriched features of the planet or the fact that he had been there before. By the same token, neither did he… it seemed prudent to keep his opinion to himself. Yet, what put him on edge was Shockwave's plan to leave Megatron blinded from the truth until the _Nemesis_ would make berth on the world.

Approximately a cycle later, he was alone with Shockwave in a hangar with a small one-crew vessel equipped with some weaponry: two Delta-class Hypersonic Fusillade Concussion blasters were mounted on the edge of the wings, several standard ACC-8 cannons, and a couple of surface-to-air and air-to-air FAF rockets. All together it was in a sense, an enlarged and upgraded Decepticon fighter. The scientist explained the performance statistics; with this vessel, he could reach WereKespair within a number of solar-cycles.

Other important features included a cloaking device to stealthily descend upon the planet with little to none detection, a conversion cog that will permit the ship to become a small communications centre with excellent radar systems, and most importantly a databank containing Soundwave's entire mission once he makes planet-fall with WereKespair. To maintain absolute "non-alien" presence upon the world, the vessel had a cryogenic regeneration chamber added to it. Most of his Minicons would not be concerned with the need to blend in; some will… this addition was to ensure Soundwave to assimilate with- as Shockwave referred it in his impractical way- "Mother Nature".

"The coordinates have already been inserted into the mainframe of the vessel's computer system. Do you understand all the functions of this vessel?"

"Certainly." The Communications Officer summoned all his Minicons to him, "If I fail my mission and become rendered inert, you may want to seek refuge from Megatron's wrath… if you CAN escape it that is…"

Shockwave chuckled, "Then DON'T fail me; the future of the Decepticon cause depends on your success and your ability to deliver."

Rolling his optics, Soundwave climbed into the cockpit after all his Minicons had been stored within him, and primed the engines. Seconds later, the floor gave way and the vessel fell out and blasted off for parts unknown to most Cybertronians…


	9. Chapter 8 Highlight: HOT SHOT

Chapter 8 Highlight: HOT SHOT

Live life fast and to the extreme! This was the personal motto of the rookie Autobot, Hot Shot. Most of the more elder soldiers tended to dislike his hyperactive attitude and greatly loathed his "war is a game" state of mind. Bah! The old coots could go find a tractor belt or a metal coil of wire to hang themselves by… for all he cared those who hated his recklessness could go shoot themselves and just die.

In his processor, information moved at such rapid speeds that it never had a chance to be analyzed before he was already acting. About the only things ever thought about was speed, agility, overcoming the impossible, and lastly killing Decepticons. The way he tended to like something was whether it was fast, sleek, lethal, and great for destroying fast-moving targets. Most Autobots had begun their careers as reckless and speed-addicted rookies… which explained the reason why the war was lost on Cybertron.

"You could use a bit more control…" Optimus Prime had reprimanded him earlier as he and his partner Leadfoot sped down the highway, almost knocking him clean off the road. Laugh out loud much! Hot Shot was rolling with laughter all the way to the vessel he had been assigned to… until he had realized the Autobot commander was going to take charge of the operation. Slag! Luckily, he had gotten himself into the thick of the mess down on Rystolth and saved the lives of the survivors as they fled from the ever-so persistent Decepticons.

"Bring 'em all on!" he declared as Jazz scolded him for being a little too reckless down on Rystolth.

"Yer insane, mech!" the SIC retorted, "Ya need to slow down by A LOT an' focus. Only with a clear processor can ya hope to o'ercome all 'em Decepticons."

"Yeah? Well, what happened to 'if it can't be done with style, then there's no worth doing it', Jazz? Dude, that's your own slogan! Being fast and extreme is just how I roll with the punches."

"Style as in poise, skill, an' style o' attack method… ya gotta slaggin' think before ya enter a fight!"

"Bah! You old mechs are all the same: old and cranky… where's your sense of adventure and speed?"

"Ha! Until ya have a conversation with Ironhide, ya hardly can comprehend the term: cranky. Ya should be very lucky that Barricade did not scrap ya…"

"Barricade is fast, just like I'm built for speed, mech…"

"But he's a Decepticon… the only thinkin' they eva do is process ways on how to destroy us."

"I really don't care. You handle fights the way you want to, and I'll do it in my own style!"

Jazz crossed his arms, "FINE. But don't come whinin' to meh if you get seriously injured. Ah shall let Prime know that we had this conversation. Yer dismissed."

Rolling his optics, Hot Shot transformed into his sleek Cybertronian sports car alt-mode and sped off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake but not fast enough to escape hearing Jazz mutter "senseless rookie" under his breath. Whatever. In the Autobot ranks, he was free to act out in any manner he so wished to desire as long as it did not defy the Prime Codex- the rules of war for the Autobots. Rules, rules, rules. The only reasons why they exist are to cross without getting caught and achieve the impossible.

Despite living the life fast and to the extreme, Hot Shot was just the same as any Autobot: he was fully against the appalling Decepticon cause and wanted to help achieve universal peace. Back on Cybertron, he had lost a lot of acquaintances to the Decepticon ranks and many others were slaughtered in the myriad of attacks on Polyhex. Those that had joined the nefarious cause tried to persuade him to side alongside them… he would have, considering his closest friends were there: Ransack, Reverb, Backtrack, and Slingshot. Such thoughts were obliterated when they assisted in the invasion of Polyhex. Hot Shot sought out the Autobots and his few acquaintances that had joined the faction- to name a few: Streak, Leadfoot, and Bugle- and affiliated himself with them.

Stellar-spans before the war began, Hot Shot had competed at the Polyhex Speed Demon race annual event; lots of competition was always in place. It was only decades since he completed his life as a young Sparkling and evolved into mech… many of his friends were among his Sparkling pals. At the Polyhex Speed Demon race, the fastest and the most daring of all Cybertronians competed to see who would hold the title of "Speed Demon of Cybertron"- the winner would go on to Velocitron and race against previous Speed Demons and the fastest of cars across the Universe. Despite all the effort he had put into the race, he could never beat his long-time rival, Barricade, who has held the title for three decades.

Hot Shot hated Barricade; in fact he hated everyone who was faster than him in his caste. Once when he had won a smaller race in the Badlands, when the latter went to congratulate him, the young mech told him to "slag off" and that the Speed Demon "cheated" in all the events. It was this attitude that had encouraged most of the other cars in their caste to despise and shun Barricade which led to his decision to side with the evil Decepticons. Every race was looked as a bloody vendetta as many times the two had constantly fought- Barricade emerging victorious every time. Both had landed in the Polyhex Behaviour Correction Centre numerous times but Hot Shot swore vengeance upon his rival- who never anticipated hostility just because he was faster- when Barricade personally killed Silverspeed, Hot Shot's love interest.

Now being an Autobot and combatting the Decepticon forces time and time again, Hot Shot furtively wished he was never a jerk towards the Decepticon Enforcement and Interrogation Officer. Now whenever he could clandestinely meet with his old rival, he tries to apologize and establish a mutual respect with him. Barricade had retorted with "the lone motive why you say this is you respect me because I'm a threat, Autobot froth" and the rivalry has continued since.

_It's my fault Barricade has sided with the Decepticons_, he thought, _if only I wasn't a total slagtard…_

"Lost in thought, Hot Shot?" a voice called from behind him.

The rookie turned around, astonished at his companion, "Optimus Prime? What are you doin' here? Are you here to berate me too?"

"Jazz told me, yes… but I figured some other tribulation was troubling you mentally. So, care to inform me of your issues with yourself? When you and Barricade crossed paths, the Decepticon seemed enraged to see you and acted out in a speedy, violent manner. At first I assumed that it was how he always fought but then I discovered that the reason he did that was because he saw you."

Hot Shot hesitated to speak at first but then he relaxed, "I guess you could say that the reason why he joined the Decepticons was because of me; I was a jealous, selfish competitor with him back before the war started. Barricade was the Speed Demon of Cybertron for three decades and during those stellar-spans, I treated him lower than scrap. Most of my friends agreed with me and we would constantly gang up on him and beat the poor fellow… since then we would halt him from coming to the racetrack on training solar-cycles and continue to pummel him whenever we saw him. As we met every time, it appeared that he had gotten stronger and deadlier- he had almost scrapped us one solar-cycle. Before the war had occurred, Barricade emerged near us with the Decepticon faction insignia implanted on his chest and he said 'if I commit horrible things against you, know that it is VENGEANCE!'"

Optimus Prime nodded, understanding and listening to every word, "These things happen but dwelling on the past will not change anything, Hot Shot."

"I just feel guilty that I'm the cause of him affiliating with the Decepticons…"

"Don't let that get to you… that was then, this is now. Have you tried apologizing?"

"Yeah, but he responded with: 'the lone motive why you say this is you respect me because I'm a threat, Autobot froth' then he remarked that we were still enemies and if I did not leave, he was gonna bust a cap up my aft."

"Well if he doesn't accept your apology, that's his problem, not yours. Besides, do not forget that when the Decepticons were still in the developing stage, Megatron taught them to despise those who treated them unfairly in the past and desire vengeance as a way to solve conflicts."

"Okay. I guess so…"

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder as Optimus Prime finished the conversation and left, "Do heed to the prudent words of Jazz and your superiors, Hot Shot, or you will be corrupted."

_There has to be a way to save Barricade_, Hot Shot thought, _I don't want him to be corrupted for my stupid error… he should not have to seek violence on others when I'm the cause of his suffering. Maybe, just maybe, I can establish communication secretly with a Decepticon and briefly convert in order to save my former caste member. All I have to do is quickly infiltrate the Communications Grid, secure a line, and somehow communicate with Soundwave or whoever._

Amazing… the Grid was actually unguarded and no one was inside operating it at the current cycle. He only had a few millicycles to act before another Autobot would enter the room. Foolish? Perhaps… it all depended on the opinion of the one who was considering it. To Hot Shot it was a desperate attempt to bring his rival to see that violence was not the answer to his problems…

ALERT! DECEPTICON FREQUENCY DETECTED! DECEPTICON COVERT AGENT IN OUR MIDST!

Immediately the room went into lockdown stage, leaving the Autobot rookie trapped within it. A laser cage formed around him and an electric stun weapon knocked him unconscious…

"Hot Shot? What are you doing here?" Blaster enquired as he entered the Grid centre, "Computer, override security protocol Delta-Psych-Niner-Four Program Sear."

"…what happened…?" the rookie asked, holding his head as his circuitry spun inside it.

"The computer registered you using a Decepticon frequency," Prowl, the Autobot Security Officer replied, putting a pair of stasis-cuffs on the rookie's hands, "And to be on the safe side, I'm following orders to take all possible threats to see the Boss."

Hot Shot was certain that Prowl could pass for a Decepticon easily: he was as brutal as Brawl and just as much as a jerk Stockade was. In his usual, callous way, Prowl dragged Hot Shot down the many halls and passageways to reveal to the other Autobots who was in trouble. Fragtard. Finally he was cast into the office of Optimus Prime who was expecting a spy to be thrown in… instead Hot Shot came tumbling into his workplace.

"Prowl, that behaviour was unacceptable." Optimus Prime scolded his officer, "Decepticon or not, we do not treat recidivists in that manner. Consider this your final, formal cautionary or you will be positioned underneath Ironhide's watchful care. If such behaviour continues, you will be court-martialed for undermining my direct authority."

The bad-mannered Autobot officer scowled as he proceeded to salute and left the office in a huff. Alas much to his disappointment, he was called back to remove the stasis-cuffs and to leave a higher-ranking officer in an appropriate style.

"One moment please," Optimus hit a button on his desk that directed communication to his SIC, "Jazz."

"Yes Optimus?"

"See to it personally that Captain Prowl gets removed from his position, is stripped of his rank, and placed under Ironhide's watchful optics."

"Oh yes sir!" Jazz had never sounded more contented in a few solar-cycles, "Ah'll get right on it!"

"Good. Optimus Prime out." Turning his attention over to Hot Shot, Optimus stood up and leaned on his desk, "What is this all about? Apparently you have triggered a base-wide red alert which put every Autobot on sight to immediately initiate Security Protocol Quasar, Sub-routine One-Zero-Four-Zero."

"I… I am guilty of this heinous crime…" Hot Shot replied, "But I am not a spy. I just wanted to establish some form of communication with a Decepticon to set up a place where I can side with them, to infiltrate their ranks and bring Barricade to our side. I am deeply sorry it came out like this…"

"Hot Shot." Optimus Prime's voice was calm and wrath-free, "You are young and yet have much to learn about your rival and the Decepticons. Certain factors also contributed to his decision to affiliate himself with them; this truth cannot be overshadowed by guilt. If you were to join the Decepticon ranks, know this: affiliating is the easy part… leaving, well that's a complete new level."

"Oh… I didn't know that…"

"Did you know that on average approximately two Decepticons are executed every stellar-span for choosing to leave their ranks? The Decepticon cause is a life commitment: once you join, the only way out is death. Every deserter is marked "kill on sight" and they will eventually be executed. Barricade is probably well-aware of this so he will be reluctant to your pleads; for if any other Decepticon catches him communicating with an Autobot in an non-hostile manner, he can be executed."

"I feel rotten that I got him into it."

"We all feel rotten about the choices we select at some point in our functioning span."

"You're not mad?"

"Hot Shot, you are young. You still have much to learn. Even I do not fully comprehend everything there is to know about the Universe and why Fate has waylaid both factions. But I do my best to understand and I listen to the wise teachings of Hablano Primzahl."

Gazing at his commander in awe, Hot Shot changed the subject, "Who is this Hablano Primzahl?"

"To be perfectly honest, I cannot figure this out myself. He appears as the leader over Tranquility and of a peaceful race of dragons, but when he speaks… it's like he's from another realm entirely. He possesses such knowledge that would quite literally put Soundwave to shame and cause Vector Sigma to resemble a Sparkling's first computer…" Optimus Prime sighed, "He claims that everything we have known since we have begun to function is all a lie. Hablano Primzahl is a being like no other but he argues the point that he is merely a servant to a Great Creator. It makes me wonder…"

"Wow… I hope some solar-cycle that I can meet him."

"It is truly an honour to talk with him. The last teaching of his that he told me a couple cycles ago that I need to unveil all the lies that I have known. I have the strangest feeling that he is some kind of..." he paused and changed the subject, "I apologize for getting sidetracked. But you must be wary of the Decepticons and their tactics; unless Barricade has a change of heart, do not continue to persist."

"Heart? What is that?"

"I meant 'Spark'. Forgive me if I am starting to not be clear in what I say."

"Hey no worries, Prime."

"Come with me the next time I go to speak with Hablano Primzahl. You can explain to him your issues with Barricade and see what he replies. Believe me… your mind will be open to greater things in life."

"Permission to bring my youngest friend, Bumblebee? I know that he would enjoy speaking with your mentor about the bigger picture of life, as will I."

"You may tell Bumblebee as well as all your acquaintances that Hablano Primzahl is willing to communicate with us for six consecutive solar-cycles, but every seventh day he will not."

"That's an interesting schedule…" Hot Shot mused as his leader nodded. He took a moment to actually think without someone thinking for him before adding, "Permission to leave, sir?"

"Granted."

The Autobot rookie walked over to the door and snapped to attention, saluting immediately after and left the office, a little pleased that Optimus Prime was not ill-mannered. He began formulating ideas to distract his processor from wandering back to the past, and planned on hanging out with his good friends. Alas, no matter what he did, guilt still had a tough hold on his Spark and he swore that no matter how much the Decepticon abhorred him, Hot Shot would rescue Barricade from the evil influence of the malevolent Decepticon leader, Megatron…


	10. Chapter 9 Highlight: BLACKOUT

Chapter 9 Highlight: Blackout

Every military needs a backbone support unit and in the Decepticon ranks, that soldier was Blackout. In a sense, he was in command over the entire military; all Decepticons had to respect him and listen to his every order. Aside from Soundwave, Blackout was the second most important key for Megatron to continue his war, although none took notice of this. His undertakings included observing and evaluating every training session and skirmish that occurred, maintaining disciplinary control, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Decepticons. Those were his tasks as an officer. As a soldier, he functioned as Megatron's unquestioning first-strike soldier or in simpler terms, the Hound of Megatron.

Many would argue that the Communications Officer was the most faithful to Megatron, but Blackout was, by far, Megatron's primary staunchest supporter. If an act potentially proved too dangerous for the more cowardly Decepticons, he would be the first to rush in with a fierce determination and complete it successfully before his Master could appoint someone else for the task. No task has ever hindered this immensely strong and large soldier who towered well over the competition. He maintained himself and his weapons always in pristine condition, despite how damaged he appeared after a battle. A myriad of Decepticons would take the easy path, gathering mere scratches and dents on their armour, but Blackout knows that discipline is the prerequisite to power and victory.

His loyalty and his service led him to become the 3IC of the Decepticons and left him always at the top of Megatron's "good list", having never defied a given command ever. The task may seem suicidal or utterly impractical, but he never defied a direction whether it was direct or not. Although he was highly intelligent, when it came to orders, it was always command over logic. Shockwave systematically "complained" whenever he felt a directive was illogical, but Blackout knew that Megatron's command was his life. To defy Megatron meant certain death for most Decepticons but unless they had a favourable excuse, to object often meant immediate termination.

The only instruction of Megatron that Blackout had ever despised was mentoring Starscream and having him under his wing. It was not the task he loathed but rather the character of focus itself: Starscream. With a fierce hatred for the humble second-in-command, the large Decepticon carried out his orders to the letter, observing and evaluating the Seeker's performance at all times. As soon as defiance loomed, Blackout would immediately berate, punish, and humiliate his pupil until such thoughts were discarded and obedience, honour, and integrity were established in its place. If there was anything he abhorred more than anything it was a self-serving, patronizing, and recklessness mentality. It seemed that Starscream wielded all three of these hated states of mind, and the more the 2IC engaged in them… the more he received hatred from his mentor.

Blackout would never argue the fact that Starscream was strong and outright callous, but he felt that his Master has appointed such a weakling to command the Decepticon forces. Never once did he reveal his true emotions to Megatron, although growling and rumbling at times, but anything that could be viewed as defiance in any shape or form was censored. Although Blackout was not a mech for words and only spoke when he felt it necessary to, he maintained a good relationship with his Master up to the point in which he would literally commit suicide if he ever accidentally disregarded a command. Pure loyalty or termination, it was either one or the other… no in-betweens were acceptable.

Retaining himself to exceedingly high standards, Blackout could easily pass as the most disciplined soldier under Megatron's command or the most "perfect" Decepticon. It was true; none of the other lowly Decepticons or Megatron could reject this truth. He was an ideal soldier, bred for the harshest of combat and to serve the Decepticon leader utterly with no faults. There was none to compare him to and yet some chose to do so with Grindor and Soundwave. Grindor was a little shorter and preferred to do tasks in his own creative way, while Soundwave did not trust anyone. Blackout did not trust anyone either than his symbiotic partner, Scorponok, and the Decepticon leader, Megatron.

And there were the certain Decepticons he wished would just be terminated or removed from their position as an officer. One was Starscream, the gaseous sycophant and inferior superior who was placed as second-in-command out of all the Decepticons; he hated Starscream to no ends. Another was the pet mad scientist Shockwave; he was a whiny, scientific, single-armed, cyclopic freak who always looked at every issue as if it were a mathematical equation. Blackout also held thick hatred against Brawl, the one and only Decepticon who could pass for a mental condition for being too obsessed with weaponry. Out of all the Decepticon officers the only two he did not mind working alongside were Soundwave- he liked how he too shared a symbiotic relationship with smaller Cybertronians- and Barricade; the fastest out of their ranks who acted out in an obnoxious sarcastic, violent manner.

Eons ago, Blackout had emerged out of the Well of AllSparks a few cycles after Megatron without a name and as the largest of the Sparklings. Before they could be named by their caretakers, the fearsome Phantoka had captured him and taken him far out of range of any civilized city… the Badlands. There they were treated brutally and enslaved to work for their new masters. No task was difficult for the large Sparkling though- he was as strong as ten Sparklings without using much strength. Eventually he began to make friends with the Sparkling known as Delta 16- he got his name from his area of work- and the two became closer than brothers. When he finally received a name- Beta 13- he and Delta 16 were sent to the gladiator pits for they were the strongest out of all the Sparklings they emerged with.

Beta 13 and Delta 16 quickly became feared in the pits, as they started becoming exceedingly violent even outside the match rings. Due to his dark armour and size, the cheering fans eventually changed his name to Black the Giant and marveled at the speed and power associated in every brawl he held with another opponent. After Blackout killed an opponent two times his size, the crowd started chanting "BLACK OUSTS ANOTHER ONE!" and soon were calling him Blackoust. While training with smaller opponents, Blackoust soon discovered that the fastest way to take out an opponent was attacking their processor and began applying this new tactic. Most opponents were knocked senseless before they could evade his powerful fists and his adoring fans changed his name to the respectful "Blackout" and he carried the name ever since.

Blackout began serving a brutal mech known as Megaton who was the most feared gladiator in the pits; his power remained unmatched. Despite being a powerful brute, Megatron was highly intelligent and his intellect even left their bosses stupefied. His delusions of grandeur seemed pleasing to Blackout and thus he quickly sided with the powerful gladiator. A free Cybertron, the Phantoka eradicated, the long-termed Magnus council overthrown… yes, this was what many Cybertronians wanted and it was what he wanted too. But Megatron was not planning on stopping with a freed Cybertron; he wanted to show the entire Universe that Cybertronians were the master race amongst it.

"Sir?" A Decepticon soldier interrupted Blackout's thoughts, "Your presence has been requested in the Silence Room."

"What is our current location, soldier?"

"The Ostarice System, sir."

The large Decepticon officer nodded his response to his subordinate and turned his head to his Master, "Lord Megatron. Permission to leave my post for a time?"

A nod was the only answer Blackout had received and the Decepticon got up and hurried to the Silent Room; he knew who had requested his presence and his Spark was aching with pleasure.

"You requested my presence, Starcatcher?" he asked as soon as he entered the room, four millicycles later, "I see that your transfer appeal to the _Nemesis_ was accepted…"

A short Seeker femme walked over to the large Cybertronian, and anointed his faceplate with a kiss, "I missed you, Blackout. Where have you been for the past ninety metacycles?"

"Serving our Master," he wrapped his large, strong arms around her and pulled her close, "Where else would I be?"

"Teaching that moron, Starscream." Her voice was filled with disgust, "His flirting is irritating."

"He FLIRTS with you? If only I can pummel him with Megatron's consent…"

Starcatcher giggled as she felt his Spark reacting in rage; his anger was always pleasing to her. And the way Blackout was so possessive over her, caused her to be true to her mech. If a mech was not true to their femme, she would not be true to him… often.

A low purr-like sound escaped his orifice as she placed a hand over his Spark, indicating that her touch was very pleasing to him. He rested his chin on top of her helmet and continued to "purr" as she snuggled into his chest.

"I suppose that you cannot be here for long," she sighed.

Blackout answered her with an "injured-puppy" whimper.

Gazing up at him, the Seeker femme knew that Megatron would summon his Loyal Hound very soon, "Once the Decepticon cause is fulfilled, we can be together for as long as time permits us to function."

"During the times we are apart, you'll be in my Spark," he replied, "As you will be always."

"And you'll be in mine,"

Suddenly a transmission came to the Decepticon officer, beckoning him to return to the bridge. A light, low growl informed her that he had to leave. Reluctantly the femme released her mech and he started away towards the room entrance.

"Say the words, Blackout." Starcatcher begged, "Say the words I long to hear."

Blackout paused and turned around so his red optics met with her purple optics, "My Spark is yours."

And he left her, knowing that duty came before self; how he longed to have been given an allocated period to be with only his femme. Megatron was unaware of the special relationship he shared with this precious Seeker of his… if they were discovered, they would be court-martialed for a superior officer and a subordinate fraternizing with one another. This was perhaps the only secret he harboured from his Master but sooner or later, the Decepticon leader would expose it.

"Master," he bowed deeply when he arrived at the bridge.

"Rise, my faithful hound." Megatron acknowledged the officer, "It appears that we have met up with the rest of the Fleet quicker than I had anticipated. We are preparing to head for parts unknown to us…"

"And the Decepticon cause goes with us."

"It shall reach every star system and every planet out in the cosmos…" He paused briefly, "I need you to prepare the _Nemesis_ for such a journey. We make berth down on Klatos VII in a few millicycles. You have no longer than a solar-decacycle."

"Yes Lord Megatron. It will be complete beyond your standards within five solar-cycles."

"Excellent. You are dismissed, Blackout."

Blackout returned to his post, feeling emptiness in his Spark; a portion of it went with Starcatcher as a result for telling her that his Spark was hers.

_Think Blackout_, he scolded himself, _now is not the time to be taken off duty for being emotionally compromised. There are bigger undertakings afoot._

He had actually a very limited time to have the vessel even up to Megatron's standards but failure would never be an option. If Megatron wanted a task done in three solar-cycles, it would be completed within two. Service or termination… only this thought mattered.

The _Nemesis_ landed on an enormous landing pad that covered a portion of land the size of the Hydrax Military Centre in Polyhex. Megatron was the first to leave the vessel and after Starscream was off, Blackout came. A number of workers would be needed to continue the work progress that he had been tasked with; this required an audience with the callous Carnage.

Originally Klatos VII was a peaceful world home to a myriad of creatures that resembled any member of the feline species. Then the Decepticons invaded… and enslaved the planet for their own will. All slave operations were left under the rule of the Decepticon Carnage. Carnage was a twisted Cybertronian; he cared not for Megatron nor the Decepticon cause… all what mattered to him was pain and suffering. With an entire database dedicated purely to brutal forms of execution and torture methods, he went about torturing, slaughtering, and creating as much carnage as possible. Whenever he heard screams of pain or anguish, he reveled in it. Megatron _hated_ Carnage's non-quenching thirst for suffering, and almost every Decepticon shunned him. Except for a fellow 'Con named Bludgeon who was a dumb as he looks but as strong as Brawl.

When Blackout found the slave mill in which Carnage himself resided in, it was almost tragic… even to a Decepticon such as Blackout… to see how the slaves were treated. Most of them looked weak and ill, others had signs of discipline all over their bodies in the form of abrasions. Although the Cybertronian race was superior in his view, the Hound of Megatron would not agree to the suffering that the creatures of Klatos VII faced. If he were in charge, they would be nurtured up to the point of normal functioning and punished for good reason only. And if they were to be executed, it would be quick and as painless as possible. There was no honour in the methods of Carnage.

"Bludgeon," Blackout growled as he watched the Decepticon tank transform and start whipping the slaves for no apparent reason, "Where is Carnage?"

"Torturing a couple of slaves for no reason… where else?" Bludgeon shot a slave for the fun of it, "This is entertaining me… I felt like punishing them for no reason at all."

"Hmph! By the time you're done, you won't have any slaves left."

The tank Cybertronian shrugged and Blackout punched him in the face, "What the Pit was that for?"

"I _felt_ like it."

Without a second glance at the brutal 'Con, the large Decepticon walked away to find the twisted mech. And he found him… torturing a slave who was nailed to a wall upside-down. Blood was pouring down the poor creature's body and screams reverberated off the walls. Where was the honour in this kind of torture? Blackout loathed Cybertronians who lost their honour by practicing and committing appalling acts against the Decepticon Code. If Shockwave was "mad", Carnage had to be insane. But what could he do? Rank structure had no meaning to this Decepticon; all what mattered was pure suffering.

Blackout hoped the poor creature would die quickly so it would not have to suffer much longer… although Carnage probably did everything in his mortal power to keep his victim alive. Ultimately, the large Decepticon could not take it no more, and shot the cat-like creature in the forehead, killing it instantly. He may have taken its life, but it was all a mercy.

An enraged Carnage scowled, putting away a scalpel he was using to tear off the very flesh from the hapless creature. He turned to face Blackout.

"You _ruined_ my fun…"

"Fun? YOU THINK THAT'S FUN?"

"Naturally, you disgusting robot…"

"It defies the Decepticon Code and thus you have lost your honour…"

"Whatever. Honour is meaningless. Pain and ssssssuffering… yessssssssssss… is fun."

"Megatron has demanded a workforce to prep the _Nemesis_ for a mission. You hold the key to all the slaves of this planet." Blackout crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"You can have all the slaves you need…"

A strange insignia was in the place of Carnage's former Decepticon logo, causing one of the large mech's optics to lift. The twisted robot noticed the strange look and smirked.

"I no longer serve your pathetic master, Megatron. There is another who I serve who lavishes in my addiction to suffering… he allows me to tear apart whoever I so please."

Blackout ignored the Decepticon and left without another word. Although hatred for Carnage tore through his Spark, he refused to show it. Besides, if that 'Con had planned on deserting the Decepticon ranks, then it would be worth informing Megatron and having a warrant for execution placed on his head; that would be enough to satisfy Blackout.

"So Blackout, did you talk with Carnage?" Barricade approached from behind the large Decepticon with caution, "I hear he's being a dumbaft as usual."

"Hmph. Dumbaft would not even be the term. I prefer 'mentally unstable' or even 'treacherous'…"

"Oh?"

"I need an audience with Megatron, Barricade. Do you know his exact position?"

His companion shrugged, "Beats me. Last time I checked though, Megatron was being followed by that Icewing femme… AGAIN."

"Again? If I were him, I would terminate her! I would HATE having an annoying fan-femme following in my wake wherever I go."

"Yeah, and it seems that Starcatcher is pretty taken with you, Blackout…"

"We can have as many slaves as we need," the subject was suddenly changed, "You know what you are told, Barricade; carry out the will of Megatron."

"Sir!" the Decepticon Interrogation Officer saluted and walked off.

It did not take the Hound long before he found his Master; the Decepticon leader was conferring with Starscream and being _annoyed_ by Icewing, a Decepticon Seeker femme.

"If you VALUE your life, Icewing, you will leave NOW," Megatron threatened the femme.

"Yes sir… but that doesn't change the fact that you're the love of my Spark!" she called back.

"OUT!"

Immediately she was gone.

"Idiot…" he turned his head over to his Loyal Hound, "Report!"

"I successfully established communication with Carnage, sir. He has offered us as many slaves as we need but he also claims that he does not serve you, Master… someone else who is perhaps as mad as that 'Con himself."

"Interesting. I'll deal with it myself," Megatron flexed his sword-wielding hand, and stood up, "In the meantime, do what you must, Blackout."

"At once, my lord!" Blackout bowed and walked off, a little confused and intrigued by the sudden change of affiliation within Carnage. Who else would start a faction and include Cybertronians? And be psychotic enough to allow that mech to indulge in his craving for pain and suffering? Unbeknownst to him, his questions would be answered soon enough…


	11. Chapter 10 Highlight: ULTRA MAGNUS

Chapter 10 Highlight: Ultra Magnus

Even in the midst of a universal war, there are rules and regulations to follow and abide by. Two associations handle the matter of rules on either side: the Autobot Security Council and the Decepticon High Justice. Together the associations formed the Altihex Accord which was perhaps the only mutual agreement between the Autobots and the Decepticons. In order to be certain that all those who break the rules are tried and condemned, enforcers were established to bring the convicts to justice. Those that have the tasking of doing so, have the authority to investigate all sides of the Universe… including enemy bases. And the greatest of all the enforcers was Ultra Magnus, the last survivor of the long-extinguished Magnus Council.

Ultra Magnus was the wisest and most dedicated enforcer of the Altihex Accord to the point in which even the Decepticon leader respected him for his devotion. In an effort to escape the war after he viewed the destruction of Iacon, he sought out the members of the Autobot Security Council to become an enforcer who worked behind the lines of the war. Becoming an enforcer was not an easy task: he was tested various times by both sides of the Altihex Accord, had to undergo military training from the skill-assessing Autobot Ironhide and the brutal Decepticon Grindor, and had to be in isolation for an entire stellar-span. As a result of completing every test with the highest score of all the enforcers tested, Magnus was accepted as a full-time enforcer.

Since he was the best, unchallenged enforcer, Ultra Magnus was given the opportunity to have a partner with one of the part-time enforcers. And he became partners with the old and cranky, Ironhide, who later became his best friend. Ironhide served the Altihex Accord secondary to his duties as a battle-hardened Autobot warrior, but neither Magnus nor the members of the Altihex Accord cared. What the enforcer cared about, however, was his friend's safety whenever he left to do battle with the callous Decepticons.

Long before Cybertron ceased to exist, Cybertron's greatest and only Prime was killed in a collision within the VII Astral asteroid field which plunged the planet into chaos. Many Cybertronians view the untimely death of Magneto Prime as one of the reasons Tribulation befell Cybertron; unaware to them, this would become one of the leading factors of the civil war that would later ravage the planet. Without a Prime to strictly enforce the laws of the old system, the other Magnus' who were consumed by their greed for power, instituted the brutal caste system and corrupted the entire planet within a few short stellar-spans. Ultra Magnus was "The Last Champion of Cybertron" as many had referred him to during his time as a Magnus. He strongly supported the worker class' rights and worked hard to diminish the hated and appalling caste system that had been incorporated into their civilization.

Whenever the Magnus Council and their corrupted followers would address the Cybertronian castes, it seemed the only way to have them pay heed was if it was Ultra Magnus who would speak to them. He respected every Cybertronian, viewing them more important than Energon, and immediately when a struggle occurred, Ultra Magnus was there in the middle of it, trying to establish solutions. Out of the fifty members of the loathed ruling council, he followed the Code of the Sparks- an ancient code created by the very first Prime, Vector Prime- to the letter while the other Magnus' pursued their own evil agendas.

Being the only Magnus ever to leave the sacred Halls of the Primes, Ultra Magnus had seen and viewed every event on the entire planet. When rumors of new leadership of Kaon reached his audio receptors, he made his way to the Badlands and encountered the newly empowered Megatron personally. Ultra Magnus agreed to the upset gladiator's terms, accepted his rule, and established a mutual agreement with the violent Gladiator Pits commander. Although he gave the Council's "blessing" for ruling, deep down he knew that this was a start of revolution that would overtake the planet.

Over the past few stellar-spans, the number of convicts he had brought in exceeded forty, most of them over the account of treachery or running illegal black market trades. They included the Autobot Tracker and Decepticons Swindle, Ramjet, and Lockdown. Now the main reason behind most of the arrests he made was due to the Cybertronians becoming "mentally compromised" as the members of the ASC and the DHJ referred it as. Such ones convicted of having this condition were a Decepticon femme named Trackdown, and the suffering-obsessed Decepticon Carnage.

Ultra Magnus and Ironhide were present at the court martialing of ex-Autobot sniper, Grindcore. It was hard to conceive that out of all the Autobots, the one to smuggle weapons and information to an unknown anomaly was Grindcore. Before the betrayal was discovered, apparently the sniper had been meeting with an unknown being- possibly of Decepticon affiliation- and has supplied it with over two hundred weapon prototypes and over four thousand military secrets. When they came to arrest him, he killed more than thirty Autobot security officers with the least remorse until Ultra Magnus and Ironhide prevailed and subdued him.

Everyone who knew Grindcore thought they had him all figured out; how he prove them wrong! Several prosecutions laid against him seemed to have stirred insanity within his processor and he began ranting about the Universe, Harbingers, and other things that did not comprehend in any of the Autobots' circuitry. Then he started chanting in a foreign language before translating it into their language. It went as follows:

"A stone that had been established for millenniums will be crushed and discarded into oblivion.

Once this is complete, another stone will replace it and will not be broken by any force."

As a result, the members of the Altihex Accord passed him off as mentally compromised and banished him, leaving him on a desolate planet in the middle of nowhere. But the team that had deployed him there vanished a few cycles after relaying a panicked transmission long after dropping their cargo. It was all becoming a mystery and Ultra Magnus began to question whether or not the struggle was intensifying. Insanity began to overcome the Cybertronians one by one, especially the Decepticon known as Carnage.

"Crazy slagtard, eh Magnus?" Ironhide scoffed as he and the Autobot enforcer proceeded away from the military court as another Autobot- this one named Whirlwind- was passed off as mentally compromised and sentenced him to banishment, "It makes me wonder wut is goin' on…"

Ultra Magnus nodded, "It causes me to begin to conceive that some other force is at work… perhaps one of supernatural capabilities…"

"Magnus, I'd be careful if I were you; talk like dat will git you banished like all the others."

"Ironhide, hear me out. Grindcore, the top Autobot sniper and one of the most loyal Autobots, suddenly is considered a traitor and is passed off as mentally compromised? And Whirlwind, a dedicated officer later is as well? Some other force must be act work or some kind of virus of some type that re-engineers circuitry… I really don't know. But I am certain that there must be something behind all this."

"Huh. I must concur with you; Grindcore is no idiot, ev'ryone knows dat much."

The two friends walked back to the Autobot Security Council headquarters, continuing their in-depth conversation about the betrayals, the loyalty of the Autobots, and the possibility of an unknown force at work within the Cybertronians. Ultimately, Ironhide decided that the long-lasting war could make anyone go insane to the point where they do the unthinkable; Ultra Magnus had to agree with him.

"Well, who're we gonna bust a cap on today?" the old veteran enquired as Magnus viewed the list of wanted Autobots and Decepticons, "Lit's see 'ere… Autobots wanted: Chromedome… and Decepticons wanted: Banzaitron, Diveplane, Echelon, and Quasar."

After reviewing the list, his friend responded, "We're going after the Decepticon Banzaitron."

"Banzaitron? 'Bout time… if Megatron didn't tell de Decepticon High Justice to pass a warrant fer his arrest soon, I bet dat lil' slagtard would have taken ov'r the Decepticon leadership mantle. Hmm… he's in de Tyrest District an' he has his own lil' posse o' followers. We'd best be careful."

Ultra Magnus nodded, knowing that any and all Decepticons to have a warrant for their arrest passed by Megatron were exceedingly dangerous. As he began to read the datafile about Banzaitron, he noticed the mayhem-wreaking Barricade walking over to the wanted list.

"So Magnus," the Decepticon replied with a smirk, "Which datafile will you be closing next?"

"I plan on arresting Banzaitron."

"Good! I always wanted to see that treacherous scrap-pile in a laser-sealed cell of a maximum security prison."

"I thought you were with de other 'Cons who mobilized down to Klatos VII…" Ironhide raised an optic.

"Yeah, but they are just lazing about again… so I came here to do some hunting. Oh, by the way, Magnus, Carnage appears to have escaped custody, considering he's down on Klatos VII, running the slave operations there, and being the damned fool he always is."

"How the Pit did that 'Con manage to escape the Altihex prison fields, not to mention the inescapable cell I personally escorted him to? Something is not right…" Ultra Magnus was deeply confused, "No one has ever escaped without being spotted in the process."

Barricade shrugged, "Beats me, but as far as I'm aware, he has changed faction… neither Autobot nor Decepticon, so the damned mech claims."

Surprisingly enough, neither Barricade nor Ironhide revealed any hint of hostility between each other- but that was one of the prerequisites of a part-time enforcer. If an enforcer was allied with a certain faction and served with that said faction, hostility was to be left on the battlefield and in its place, a neutral state of mind. When serving as an enforcer, one always had to bear in mind to leave all battle-related conversations with the faction they serve. Barricade was highly skilled with keeping his true emotions hidden when he worked as an enforcer, and Ironhide normally was cranky… so this rule did not really apply to him.

"Would you like to accompany us to the Tyrest District, 'Cade?" Ultra Magnus checked his Atomized Energy Repulsion shotgun, "Three is plenty of company for me."

"May I never hunt again if I turn down this generous offer, Magnus!" Barricade grinned.

A hearty laugh escaped Ironhide's orifice, "Primus, if dat lil' feller Hot Shot knew about de Altihex Accord enforcers, he'd do anythin' to git in 'ere to talk with ya, 'Cade."

"Vector Sigma… I'd resign from my enforcer duties if that ever happens."

All three enforcers laughed together as they headed for Ultra Magnus' space vessel that was located on the Southern Space Docks. Named the _Lithium_, it was designed by Ultra Magnus to attain hyper-light speed and appear highly stealthy in design… no wanted fugitive could ever be safe for his inescapable grasp. Equipped with Psi-Class hypersonic turbo-thrusters and about thirty assault barrage cannons, the interlocked ubarium armour-plated vessel could even survive a supernova explosion.

"This appears to be a superlative vessel; I cannot consider any other vessel to be compared with the sleek and magnificent design of the _Lithium_. No feature is questionable besides the alias; therefore, I want to comprehend why you had dubbed such a designation for this vessel."

"Thank you very much, but the reason why I dubbed it the _Lithium_ is because the main composition of the fuel source it uses is lithium."

The enforcers boarded the space vessel and in less than two millicycles, they were en-route to the Tyrest District with one purpose in mind: arresting Banzaitron. After they bring him in, he would be handed over to the Decepticon High Justice and from there sent to Chaar for punishment; Barricade hinted at it being execution.

"I understand that there are certain regulations that must be pertained at every cycle when on duty as an enforcer, but I must open a conversation regarding events and circumstances that reflect on matters outside of the duties of an enforcer, if I may." Barricade spoke boldly, knowing the consequences if he were to do so.

Both Ironhide and Ultra Magnus exchanged confused glances, and finally the latter spoke, "Considering that the two of you originate from opposing factions, I deny all conversation that reputes any form of military topics."

"The conversation that I wish to start highlights other events or circumstances that do not necessarily mirror a militarized point of view." After receiving a nod of assurance from both mechs, he continued, "I am unsure if you are already aware of that interesting energy signature that was detected several solar-cycles ago; are you familiar with this?"

"Personally, I have detected this anomaly and was wondering what paradox of time constraint and universal harmony could have created this. Yes, alongside with my duties as an enforcer, I took the liberty to investigate further into the matter and I discovered the inconceivable."

"Which was?"

"Whatever type of energy this anomaly is, it is radioactive to the point of Psion-level waves."

"Primus… dat's moar powerful dan any Cybertronian weapon dere is!" Ironhide exclaimed, "De only known form o' Psion waves is Alpha-class fission-fusion plasma… another words: Biotetronic plasma."

"Affirmative, but the readings of this form is nearly one hundred times stronger- in a way like supernova power but with Psion waves instead."

"And the interesting part of this is the recent detection, which leads me to hypothesize the probability of it being created recently…" the Decepticon enforcer leaned back in his seat.

"Or born." Ultra Magnus interrupted him.

"Now where de Pit did ya git dat load o' scrap, Magnus? Everymech knows dat such a bonding doesn't exist..."

"I've been around the galaxy and most races birth their offspring… thus our ignorance to this form of reproduction has blinded us in understanding most races. The unintelligent species go through the lesser forms of reproduction."

"Vector Sigma! Why are we talking about where younglings come from?" Barricade growled, "That is _completely_ irrelevant to our current conversation. 'Sides, I don't give two scraps about that. Point is, this new energy form must have been created very recently and I doubt that any being can possess such power."

"In a Universe like ours, any event or circumstance is possible; however, it may not necessary apply to every scenario that can be conceived. Recently, I have decided that it would be prudent if one was to begin to understand the complexities of the Universe, they should consider every aspect possible. I have recorded information in the log entries of my science field journalism… one contains what I have learned of Psion-level radiation waves."

"If I could get my servos on that energy, I would use it as the energy for my shock cannons that I am attempting to create a prototype for…"

"We have arrived, my friends."

Using a wormhole to travel to the Tyrest District, the _Lithium_ soared down into the murky atmosphere of the planet known as Faruk. Out of all the planets in the Universe, Faruk had to be the most disgusting planet of them all; even the flora and fauna were appalling in appearance. And just as hideous as his very Spark, Banzaitron liked it and made it his covert base of operations.

"Dis planit reminds me o' de hauntin' stories I wood hear when I was jist a Sparklin'," Ironhide gazed at the way the plants all appeared to be dead, "Magnus, why'd ya not say dat dis feller was a psychopath?"

"Banzaitron is a twisted creature of darkness just like Carnage, so I'm told," Ultra Magnus readied his Atomized Energy Repulsion shotgun, "He's highly skilled, but not enough for me."

Following Magnus' lead, Barricade loaded his Hypertension Concussion shotgun, ready for a hunt. He really enjoyed his weapon until he saw what Ironhide was holding.

"What the Pit is that?"

"Oh dis?" Ironhide enquired, "Dis is mah self-designed vibranium-shielded R-Infiniti Accelerator X-9400 Ultrasonic Nuclear energy wave cannon. Why d'ya ask?"

For a moment there, the Decepticon enforcer thought he would spring an oil leak as his red optics widened in shock. _Why do the Autobots always get the good scrap?_ He contemplated, scowling with jealousy.

The two followed behind Ultra Magnus, remaining on either side of his shoulder plates, with their weapons at the ready. Several Decepticons watched them closely from the shadows and remained hidden for they knew that no one was to interfere with Enforcers of the Althihex Accord.

"Prime Enforcer Ultra Magnus," a large Decepticon which had a peculiar chassis construction- short legs and huge arms with hands mounted on his towering elbows- queried, "What brings you to the Dominion of Decepticon Warlord Banzaitron?"

"I have a warrant for the arrest of Banzaitron from the Decepticon High Justice. According to the Accord, you must let me pass."

"Devcon is not stupid, Enforcer." A dark Decepticon equipped with an Ursa-class giant torso-mounted cannon and two Theta-class energy blades, snorted, "Although he may look it."

The former Magnus glanced over every interesting feature about Devcon and felt remorse to the 'Con for having such a complicated chassis, "Do explain what happened to him."

"The name's Wreckage, Enforcer, just so you know. Devcon used to be known as a Decepticon with the alias of Clipback until he underwent experimentations done by the mad Shockwave. The result is what you see, and we began to call him Devcon- 'dev' for devastation and 'con' for Decepticon."

"I almost feel sorry fer de big feller…" Ironhide stated, "Hmpf! To think dat Shockwave tortures 'is own teammates an' makes 'em into monsters."

"Banzaitron is in his tower as usual," Wreckage added, ignoring Ironhide's last statement, "And he will not allow you to capture him easily… but that's just Banzai for you."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

All the Decepticons stood aside, letting the Enforcers pass, abandoning their orders to protect their master Banzaitron from all, even if it meant Megatron. Although his team was handpicked by him personally, not one of them was willing to challenge Ultra Magnus to a duel. They had heard stories that he was unstoppable and had never faced defeat.

Ultra Magnus pushed open the gates with his strong hands and called out loudly, "Banzaitron! I am Ultra Magnus and I am a duly Enforcer of the Altihex Accord. I possess a warrant for your arrest passed down directly from the Decepticon High Justice. We can either do this my way or the hard way."

"Did he already forget that we have accompanied him here?" Barricade asked Ironhide.

"Nah! He does dis intimidation speech ev'ry time. It just defines him."

"Megatron is not too thrilled with your performance lately, Banzai, you know. The warrant for your arrest comes directly from him."

Three rockets hit the floor and knocked them all off their feet as the Decepticon Banzaitron leapt from his pedestal and attacked them. A heated brawl ensued as the three Enforcers tangled with the rogue Decepticon. Ironhide back-flipped over the treacherous Decepticon, shooting him numerous times in the head, but Banzaitron's helmet was constructed of yittrinium and withstood every shot. In return, the evil mech levelled the aging Autobot warrior with a shock-striking punch in the torso that put him out for the count. Next, the swift Barricade transformed into his car alt-mode and fired a barrage of uranium-depleted bullets into the right tread-covered leg. Crippled, the large robot swung wildly with a huge Energon-axe, missing the Decepticon enforcer but taking out a pillar that was stabilizing the pedestal he was on. Unsupported, the pedestal collapsed on top of poor Barricade, crushing him under thirty tons of metal and stone. Despite the best collective efforts of Banzaitron, one opponent remained standing: Ultra Magnus.

"Give it up, Autobot trash!" Banzaitron's voice was hoarse and deep, "You cannot defeat me! I am the unstoppable Decepticon warlord and soon to be the new leader of the Decepticons! In all my war campaigns, I have never been defeated and, therefore, I shall defeat Megatron once I have crushed your head!"

Ultra Magnus raised an optic, obviously challenging this statement and fired a single blast from his Atomized Energy Repulsion shotgun into the Decepticon's chest, "Just to warn you, I am no Autobot. I fight as dirty as any Decepticon and as valiant as any Autobot.

"You fired a pathetic weapon like that at the mighty Banzaitron! HA! That merely tickled!" While laughing manically, the plasma-like matter that had been released from the weapon, enter his chassis, surrounded all his vital systems, and repulsed all the energy that was flowing to them. Immediately Banzaitron fell over in stasis-lock.

"They always get so overconfident that they never seem to contemplate the meaning of 'atomized energy repulsion', thus leading to their defeat." The Prime Enforcer put stasis cuffs on the unconscious mech to restrain him after the effects of the AERS wear off.

Using an Energon repair ray to revive Barricade and Ironhide, Ultra Magnus then threw the defeated 'Con over his shoulder and paraded out of the tower triumphantly. As the three Enforcers transported the unconscious Banzaitron to their space vessel, the Decepticons rejoiced and cheered, for they could finally leave the disgusting world of Faruk. Barricade gave them specific instructions to rendezvous with the other Decepticons on Klatos VII before he returned to the _Lithium_.

"Damn Magnus, now I understand why they say you're the best of the best at what you do." He helped secure Banzaitron in the prisoner bay.

"Indeed. Ironhide, lock coordinates for Altihex. We do not want to keep the Decepticon High Justice waiting for much longer."

"Right-o, Boss!" Ironhide did what he was ordered to.

Despite the two "factioned" Cybertronians engaging in conversation like the best of friends, Ultra Magnus silently ignored them as he pondered the recent discovery of the new energy source that lay beyond the Gridder Mark. Entering a state almost like "sleep mode", he attempted to visualize the reason behind the sudden appearance of the energy source that vibrates so powerfully, they could sense it billions of parcycles away. Ultra Magnus had the ability to see beyond the reaches of their Universe and could- to an extent- perceive upcoming events.

He saw a vegetated, little-populated planet that was barely technologically advanced with intelligent canine species dominating it. Specially-empowered canines manipulate the very elements of the planet to defend themselves and protect the ones they love. Kingdoms had been erected to establish authority over the inhabitants. A dark shadow lingering over a snow-covered palace, then suddenly was shattered by a blinding light. And a female canine of royal descent gave birth to a small pup with an interesting marking on the bottom of its paw. Within the pup was specially-enhanced adrenaline that was surrounded by Psion-level radiation waves.

"By the AllSpark…" he muttered as the _Lithium_ entered a wormhole, "This child has the ability to affect the entire Universe with its off-the-scale power within it. And to believe that the Decepticons had created the ultimate weapon! If that power was ever to leave the child, Primus help us all…"


	12. Epilogue: The Concluding Event of Part 1

EPILOGUE: The Concluding Event of Part 1

The sunset along the horizon of Tranquility marked the end of the solar-cycle and Optimus Prime was content with relaxing in his quarters, pondering the mysteries of the cosmos that Hablano Primzahl had told him about. No more military-related concerns since he had left Jazz in charge of the base. Sitting alone in the dark room allowed him to align his thoughts together.

"Optimus Prime…" a voice hissed from the darkness.

At once, the Autobot leader jumped to his feet, "Who's there?"

Immediately after his final word escaped his vocal processor, a white dragon with blue markings and glowing fiery eyes materialized out of the shadows of the room. It was about the size of Hablano Primzahl but much more streamlined but not as muscular. The claws were razor-sharp and a few of his teethed hanged out of his mouth.

"Whoa!" he jumped back in surprise, "Where did you come from?"

"My name is Zäctehn, and I bear a message for you from my Master:

'You are slowly uncovering things that are far beyond your understanding, and this act you will find will change your perspective of the cosmos itself. To know all the mysteries of the Universe, you would need to go beyond your image of the Universe. However, if you or any of your species set foot upon the world of WereKespair again, prepare for dark days to succeed. WereKespair is mine as it always has been and I will destroy everything in the Universe to maintain it under my control. This message I have sent you is not merely a warning but a declaration of war between realistic and supernatural forces if my demands are no met. As a precaution, I have corrupted your ranks to keep you preoccupied rather than searching for this planet's location. The Energon on the planet is meaningless to me, but it shall not become yours. I feel no remorse to you for your lack of this basic necessity as I rather see your pathetic race perish!'"

With that the mysterious dragon vanished into thin air. Lost in confusion, Optimus Prime stared at the spot where the dragon once was. How could this be happening? After searching for stellar-spans for Energon, now they have finally found an unlimited source but they would face another war with a new species entirely. What was the Universe coming to?

"Optimus?" a Cybertronian truck femme entered his quarters, "You look distressed. Are you alright?"

"Remember when I told you that our Energon supplies were terribly depleted, Causeway?"

She nodded.

"Well, I have discovered an unlimited supply of Energon on a planet that is far beyond the reaches of the Gridder Mark. The planet produces it naturally, and we would be able to endure for millenniums to come. However, I just received a warning from a dragon designated Zäctehn, who's master apparently has denied our passage on the planet. If we do step foot, we would face war with another race."

"But Optimus, we need Energon!" Causeway pleaded, "It is essential for us to continue to function…"

"I cannot risk another war."

"And what makes you think that the Decepticons will abide to this warning?"

At once Optimus Prime realized why the Decepticons has mobilized onto the planet of Klatos VII: they were already aware of the Energon source and were preparing to take it by force! Leaving Causeway, he travelled in great haste until he reached the command centre.

"Prime?" Jazz saluted, taken aback by his commander's sudden appearance, "Wut brings ya…?"

"Prepare every Autobot vessel, every shuttle, every landing craft, Jazz! I want everyone ready to travel within the cycle."

"Uh… sure thing, Prime. May Ah ask wut is our destination?"

"We're going to WereKespair."

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPIC SERIES OF CHAPTERS ENTITLED: "RISE OF DARKNESS"

*Darker, more emotional, and haunting storylines filled with ongoing action and suspense!

*Reveal the untold mysteries of the planet of WereKespair!

*Learn more about the never-before-been-told past of Optimus Prime!

*Unveil the darker plot behind Transformers: Salvation and the real adversary!

*Discover more about this special child and his true power within him!

*Follow Soundwave and Blackout, as they discover the mysteries of the cosmos!

*Follow Ratchet and Hot Shot, as they race against time to find truth!


End file.
